Electronic blackboard system

ABSTRACT

An electronic blackboard system ( 100 ) comprises a PDP for displaying characters and images; a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided on a front surface of the PDP; a printer for outputting image data onto a recording paper; and a computer for providing controls over displays provided by the PDP as well as over printing operations of the printer according to input from the touch input device, and further comprises a frame unit having a board section ( 601 ) for holding a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard comprising the PDP and touch input device at a specified height; a printer accommodating section ( 614 ) for accommodating the printer therein; and a computer accommodating section ( 612 ) for accommodating the computer therein, in which the computer accommodating section ( 612 ), printer accommodating section ( 614 ), and board section ( 601 ) are arranged in the vertical direction in this order from the bottom.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic blackboard systemcomprising a display unit for displaying thereon characters and images,a touch input device with a touch panel provided on a front surface ofthe display unit, and a control unit for providing controls overdisplays by the display unit according to input from the touch inputdevice capable of forming a display surface and a write-in surface ofthe electronic blackboard using the display unit and the touch inputdevice, and more specifically to a size-reduced and integratedelectronic blackboard system with improved operability, adaptability forhandling, and convenience.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Conventionally there has been known an electronic blackboardapparatus which can read freehand information written on a whiteboard ora write-in surface of a write-in sheet with some writing tool using adedicated scanner and outputs the read information onto a recordingpaper with a dedicated printer, and this type of electronic blackboardapparatus is used as a so-called copy board.

[0003] There has been disclosed an electronic blackboard system with atouch panel provided on a write-in surface of the electronic blackboardfor inputting freehand information on a write-in surface in real time.For instance, the Soft Board manufactured and provided by the MicrofieldGraphics, Inc. is a touch input device having an optical touch panelprovided on a whiteboard which is a write-in surface and capable ofacquiring visual data such as characters and pictures drawn on thiswhiteboard in real time into a personal computer connected thereto. Withthe electronic blackboard system using this Soft Board, it is possibleto input visual data captured with the Soft Board into a personalcomputer for displaying the data on a CRT thereof, to display the dataon a large-sized screen using a liquid crystal projector, or to outputthe data with a printer onto a recording paper. It is also possible toproject an image on a screen of a personal computer with the Soft Boardconnected thereto onto the Soft Board with a liquid crystal projectorand operate the image on the screen of the personal computer with adedicated pen on the Soft Board.

[0004] Furthermore, there has been disclosed an electronic blackboardsystem having a display unit for displaying characters and imagesthereon, a touch input device with a touch panel provided on a frontsurface of the display unit, and a control unit for providing controlsover displays by the display unit according to input from the touchinput device and capable of forming a display surface and a write-insurface of the blackboard with the display unit and the touch inputdevice. For instance, in a case of the Smart 2000 manufactured andsupplied by the SMART Technologies Inc., an image of a character, apicture, or a graphics is projected with a liquid crystal projectorconnected to a personal computer onto a panel, freehand information iscaptured into the personal computer using a touch panel based on thepressure-sensing system (write-in surface) provided on a front surfaceof the projection surface (display surface) of the panel, the freehandinformation is synthesized with the image information in the personalcomputer, and the synthesized information can be displayed with theliquid crystal projector in real time.

[0005] When a communicating function for transferring audio or videodata is integrated with the electronic blackboard system as describedabove, the electronic blackboard system can also be used as anelectronic conference system by connecting remote sites with acommunication line.

[0006] Although the conventional type of electronic blackboard system asdescribed above has been used for conferences, presentation, oreducational purposes and its effect in actual use has been highlyevaluated, the system is constructed assuming that the electronicblackboard is basically used at a fixed place. Therefore, all or aportion of the devices such as a display unit, a touch input device, apersonal computer (control unit), and a printer each constituting theelectronic blackboard system are provided as discrete units, and anumber of devices constituting the system is rather large, whichrequires to insure a wide space for installation thereof, and it is noteasy to move or install the electronic blackboard system. In otherwords, size of the system is large, and a number of devices constitutingthe system is large, so that the operability, adaptability for handling,and convenience are disadvantageously insufficient.

[0007] More specifically, when one electronic blackboard system isshared by a plurality of conference rooms or a different sections of anorganization and is moved from place to place according to thenecessity, as there are many component devices, a long time is requiredfor moving it from a place to another place, and in addition it isnecessary to reconnect the component devices to each other, so that adisadvantageously long time is required for installing the electronicblackboard system. It is not easy for one person to move and install thesystem within a short period of time.

[0008] Furthermore, with the conventional type of electronic blackboardsystem, when a surface is used as both a display surface and a write-insurface, it is necessary to use a liquid crystal projector as a displayunit, so that size of the system inevitably becomes large, and also itis required to insure a wide space for installation thereof and toreduce brightness at a site where the electronic blackboard system isbeing used.

[0009] It is conceivable to minimize the size (make thinner) of thedisplay unit by using a liquid crystal display as a display unit, but aview field angle of a liquid crystal display unit is narrow, and it isvery difficult to see the screen when viewed at a certain angle, so thatit is not suited to be used as a display unit for an electronicblackboard system shared by a plurality of users. In addition, when aliquid crystal display having a large screen is used as a display unitfor an electronic blackboard system, cost of the electronic blackboardsystem becomes disadvantageously expensive.

[0010] Furthermore, in recent years, in association with progress in thefields of data-processing devices and AV devices, also at the sites ofconferences, presentation, or educational activities, such devices asdigital cameras, DVD players, or video equipment are frequently used,but design of electronic blackboard systems based on the conventionaltechnology is not based on considerations to concurrent use of thedevices as described above, so that the operability, adaptability forhandling, and convenience are not sufficient. For instance, when thedevices as described above are used, it is necessary to input data oncevia a control unit such as a personal computer, and connection betweencomponent devices is very complicated, and in addition to the necessityof operating each device, it is necessary to operate the personalcomputer, which makes the work very complicated and troublesome.Especially, when a digital camera, a DVD player, and video equipment areto be alternately switched for use, or when a plurality types of devicesare used, connection therebetween and operation becomes stillcomplicated, which may interfere the smooth proceeding of a conferenceor other activities executed by using the electronic blackboard system.

[0011] The present invention was made in the light of the circumstancesas described above, and it is an object of the present invention toprovide an electronic blackboard system which has a small size as awhole and also has an improved operability, adaptability for handlingand convenience.

[0012] It is another object of the present invention to provide anelectronic blackboard system in which it is possible to connect andoperate various types of data-processing devices and AV equipment toeach other without requiring assistance of a personal computer.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0013] In order to achieve the objects described above, the electronicblackboard system according to the present invention comprises at leasta display unit for displaying characters and images; a touch inputdevice with a touch panel surface provided on a front surface of thedisplay unit; a printer for outputting image data onto a recordingpaper; and a control unit for providing controls over displays providedby the display unit as well as over printing operations of the printeraccording to input from the touch input device, and said electronicblackboard system is capable of forming a display surface and a write-insurface of the electronic blackboard using the display unit and touchinput device: wherein said control unit is a personal computer; saiddisplay unit is a plasma display; and said touch input device is a touchinput device based on a ultrasonic wave surface elastic wave systemcomprising a transmitting unit for transmitting surface elastic waves, areflecting unit for reflecting the surface elastic waves transmittedfrom the transmitting unit in a specified direction, and a receivingunit for receiving the surface electric waves reflected by saidreflecting unit for inputting coordinate of a touch position on thetouch panel surface according to an attenuation rate of the surfaceelastic waves by transmitting the surface elastic waves with thetransmitting unit onto the touch panel surface, reflecting the surfaceelastic waves propagating on the touch panel surface with the reflectingunit in the direction of the receiving unit, and receiving the surfaceelastic waves propagating through the touch panel surface with thereceiving unit, and also comprises a shielding member for shuttering offelectromagnetic waves provided on a surface of the display unit at aposition when a signal line is connected so that the position forconnection of the signal line for fetching a received signal for asurface elastic wave received by the receiving unit is covered; further,said electronic blackboard system comprises a frame unit having aholding section for holding a display surface and a write-in surface ofthe electronic blackboard at a specified height, a printer accommodatingsection for accommodating the printer therein, and a control unitaccommodating section for accommodating the control unit therein, inwhich the control unit accommodating section, printer accommodatingsection, and holding section are arranged in the vertical direction inthis order from the bottom.

[0014] The electronic blackboard system according to the presentinvention comprises at least a display unit for displaying charactersand images; a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided ona front surface of the display unit; and a control unit for providingcontrols over displays by said display unit according to input fromtouch input device, and said electronic blackboard system is capable offorming a display surface and a write-in surface of the blackboard withthe display unit and touch input device: wherein said touch input deviceis a touch input device comprising a transmitting unit for transmittingthe surface elastic waves, a reflecting unit for reflecting the surfaceelastic waves transmitted from the transmitting unit in a specifieddirection, and a receiving unit for receiving the surface elastic wavesreflected by the reflecting unit for inputting coordinate of a touchposition on the touch panel surface according to an attenuation rate ofthe surface elastic waves by transmitting the surface elastic wave withsaid transmitting unit onto a panel surface of the touch panel surface,reflecting the surface elastic waves propagating through the touch panelsurface with said reflecting unit in the direction of the receivingunit, and receiving the surface elastic waves propagating through thetouch panel with the receiving unit; further, the electronic blackboardsystem has a shielding member for shuttering off electromagnetic wavesprovided on a surface of the display unit at a position where a signalline is connected so that the position for connection of the signal linefor fetching a received signal for the surface elastic wave received bythe receiving unit is covered.

[0015] The electronic blackboard system according to the presentinvention comprises at least a display unit for displaying charactersand images; a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided ona front surface of the display unit; a printer for outputting image dataonto a recording paper; and a control unit for providing controls overdisplays provided by the display unit as well as providing control overprinting operations by the printer according to input from the touchinput device, and said electronic blackboard system is capable offorming a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronicblackboard using the display unit and touch input device: wherein saidcontrol unit is a personal computer; further, said electronic blackboardsystem comprises a frame unit having a holding section for holding adisplay surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard at aspecified height, a printer accommodating section for accommodating theprinter therein, and a control unit accommodating section foraccommodating the control unit therein, in which the control unitaccommodating section, printer accommodating section, and holdingsection are arranged in the vertical direction in this order from thebottom.

[0016] The electronic blackboard system according to the presentinvention comprises at least a display unit for displaying charactersand images; a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided ona front surface of the display unit; and a control unit for providingcontrols over displays provided by the display unit according to inputfrom the touch input device, and said electronic blackboard system iscapable of forming a display surface and a write-in surface of theelectronic blackboard using the display unit and touch input device;wherein said touch input device is a touch input device based on aultrasonic wave surface elastic wave system comprising a transmittingunit for transmitting the surface elastic waves, a reflecting unit forreflecting the surface elastic waves transmitted from the transmittingunit in a specified direction, and a receiving unit for receiving thesurface electric waves reflected by said reflecting unit for inputtingcoordinate of a touch position on the touch panel surface according toan attenuation rate of the surface elastic waves by transmitting thesurface elastic waves with the transmitting unit onto the touch panelsurface, reflecting the surface elastic waves propagating on the touchpanel surface with the reflecting unit in a direction to the receivingunit, and receiving the surface elastic waves propagating through thetouch panel surface with the receiving unit.

[0017] The electronic blackboard system according to the presentinvention comprises at least a display unit for displaying charactersand images; a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided ona front surface of the display unit; a printer for outputting image dataonto recording paper; and a control unit for providing controls overdisplays provided by the display unit as well as providing control overprinting operations of the printer according to input from the touchinput device, and said electronic blackboard system is capable offorming a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronicblackboard using the display unit and touch input device: wherein saidtouch input device is a touch input device based on a ultrasonic wavesurface elastic wave system comprising a transmitting unit fortransmitting the surface elastic waves, a reflecting unit for reflectingthe surface elastic waves transmitted from the transmitting unit in aspecified direction, and a receiving unit for receiving the surfaceelectric waves reflected by said reflecting unit for inputtingcoordinate of a touch position on the touch panel surface according toan attenuation rate of the surface elastic waves by transmitting thesurface elastic waves with the transmitting unit onto the touch panelsurface, reflecting the surface elastic waves propagating on the touchpanel surface with the reflecting unit in a direction to the receivingunit, and receiving the surface elastic waves propagating through thetouch panel surface with the receiving unit; further, said electronicblackboard system comprises a frame unit having a holding section forholding a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronicblackboard at a specified height, a printer accommodating section foraccommodating the printer therein, and a control unit accommodatingsection for accommodating the control unit therein, in which the controlunit accommodating section, printer accommodating section, and holdingsection are arranged in the vertical direction in this order from thebottom.

[0018] The electronic blackboard system according to the presentinvention comprises at least a display unit for displaying charactersand images; a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided ona front surface of the display unit; and a control unit for providingcontrols over displays provided by the display unit according to inputfrom the touch input device, and said electronic blackboard system iscapable of forming a display surface and a write-in surface of theelectronic blackboard using the display unit and touch input device;wherein said touch input device is a touch input device based on aultrasonic wave surface elastic wave system comprising a transmittingunit for transmitting the surface elastic waves, a reflecting unit forreflecting the surface elastic waves transmitted from the transmittingunit in a specified direction, and a receiving unit for receiving thesurface electric waves reflected by said reflecting unit for inputtingcoordinate of a touch position on the touch panel surface according toan attenuation rate of the surface elastic waves by transmitting thesurface elastic wave with the transmitting unit onto the touch panelsurface, reflecting the surface elastic waves propagating on the touchpanel surface with the reflecting unit in a direction to the receivingunit, and receiving the surface elastic waves propagating through thetouch panel surface with the receiving unit, and also comprises ashielding member for shuttering off electromagnetic waves provided on asurface of the display unit at a position where a signal line isconnected so that the position for connection of the signal line forfetching a received signal for the surface elastic waves received by thereceiving unit is covered.

[0019] The electronic blackboard system according to the presentinvention comprises at least a display unit for displaying charactersand images; a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided ona front surface of the display unit; a printer for outputting image dataonto recording paper; and a control unit for providing controls overdisplays provided by the display unit as well as over printingoperations of the printer according to input from the touch inputdevice, and said electronic blackboard system is capable of forming adisplay surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboardusing the display unit and touch input device; further, said electronicblackboard system comprises a frame unit having a holding section forholding a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronicblackboard at a specified height, a printer accommodating section foraccommodating the printer therein, and a control unit accommodatingsection for accommodating the control unit therein, in which the controlunit accommodating section, printer accommodating section, and holdingsection are arranged in the vertical direction in this order from thebottom.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electronic blackboard systemaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0021]FIG. 2 is a view showing the touch input device constituting theelectronic blackboard system according to Embodiment 1 of the presentinvention;

[0022]FIG. 3 is an explanatory view for illustrating a shielding tapeprovided between a PDP and a board of the touch input device in theelectronic blackboard system according to Embodiment 1 of the presentinvention;

[0023]FIG. 4 is an explanatory view for illustrating the processing ofidentifying coordinates of a touch position in the electronic blackboardsystem according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0024]FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the computer (personal computer)constituting the electronic blackboard system according to Embodiment 1of the present invention;

[0025]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the frame unit with the electronicblackboard system according to Embodiment 1 of the present inventionaccommodated therein viewed from the front side thereof;

[0026]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the frame unit with the electronicblackboard system according to Embodiment 1 of the present inventionaccommodated therein viewed from the rear side thereof;

[0027]FIG. 8 is a side view of the frame unit according to Embodiment 1of the present invention viewed from the right side thereof;

[0028]FIG. 9 is a view showing configuration of an angle adjustingmechanism section according to Embodiment 1 of the present inventionviewed from the upper side of the frame unit (angle of the board sectionis five degrees);

[0029]FIG. 10 is a view showing configuration of the angle adjustingmechanism section according to Embodiment 1 of the present inventionviewed from the upper side of the frame unit (angle of the board sectionis zero degree);

[0030]FIG. 11 is a view showing configuration of the angle adjustingmechanism section according to Embodiment 1 of the present inventionviewed from the side of the frame unit;

[0031]FIG. 12 is a view showing modification of the angle adjustingmechanism section according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0032]FIG. 13 is a view showing another modification of the angleadjusting mechanism section according to Embodiment 1 of the presentinvention;

[0033]FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing one example of the screenof the electronic blackboard and a toolbar displayed on the PDP in theelectronic blackboard system according to Embodiment 1 of the presentinvention;

[0034]FIG. 15 is an explanatory view showing one example of an extensiontoolbar displayed on the PDP in the electronic blackboard systemaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0035]FIG. 16 is an explanatory view showing one example of a drawingtoolbar together with the extension toolbar displayed on the PDP in theelectronic blackboard system according to Embodiment 1 of the presentinvention;

[0036]FIG. 17 is an explanatory view showing one example of how a resultof freehand characters and lines on the touch surface is displayed onthe screen of the electronic blackboard on the PDP in the electronicblackboard system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0037]FIG. 18 is an explanatory view showing one example of how thefreehand characters and lines displayed on the screen of the electronicblackboard are deleted with an eraser in the electronic blackboardsystem according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0038]FIG. 19 is an explanatory view showing one example of how thefreehand characters and lines displayed on the screen of the electronicblackboard are enclosed with a box and the characters and lines in thebox are deleted in one operation in the electronic blackboard systemaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0039]FIG. 20 is an explanatory view that shows a line drawn on thescreen of the electronic blackboard in the electronic blackboard systemaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0040]FIG. 21 is an explanatory view that shows a rectangle drawn on thescreen of the electronic blackboard in the electronic blackboard systemaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0041]FIG. 22 is an explanatory view showing a grid pattern displayed asa background of the screen of the electronic blackboard in theelectronic blackboard system according to Embodiment 1 of the presentinvention;

[0042]FIG. 23 is an explanatory view that shows a table created on thescreen of the electronic blackboard in the electronic blackboard systemaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0043]FIG. 24 is an explanatory view that shows an ellipse created onthe screen of the electronic blackboard in the electronic blackboardsystem according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0044]FIG. 25(a) is an explanatory view showing selection of a graphicsas an object for modification and (b) is an explanatory view showing thegraphics after its modification in the electronic blackboard systemaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0045]FIG. 26(a) is an explanatory view showing selection of a graphicsas an object to be moved and (b) is an explanatory view showing thegraphics after its movement in the electronic blackboard systemaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0046]FIG. 27 is an explanatory view showing one example of an edit menudisplayed when a created graphics is to be edited in the electronicblackboard system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0047]FIG. 28 is an explanatory view for illustrating the processing foropening a prepared file in the electronic blackboard system according toEmbodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0048]FIG. 29 is an explanatory view for illustrating the processing foropening a prepared file using thumbnail images in the electronicblackboard system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0049]FIG. 30 is an explanatory view showing one example of the screenof the computer and a capture toolbar displayed on the PDP in theelectronic blackboard system according to Embodiment 1 of the presentinvention;

[0050]FIG. 31 is an explanatory view showing one example of how a screenof a captured application program is displayed as a background of thescreen of the electronic blackboard in the electronic blackboard systemaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0051]FIG. 32 is an explanatory view showing one example of how a screenof a captured application program is displayed as a background of thescreen of the electronic blackboard and characters or the like arewritten on the screen in the electronic blackboard system according toEmbodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0052]FIG. 33 is an explanatory view showing how a thumbnail displaydialog box for displaying pages in creation in a list form is displayedin the electronic blackboard system according to Embodiment 1 of thepresent invention;

[0053]FIG. 34 is an explanatory view showing how a printing dialog boxfor printing pages in creation is displayed in the electronic blackboardsystem according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0054]FIG. 35 is an explanatory view showing one example of a settingscreen for the touch input device in the electronic blackboard systemaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0055]FIG. 36 is an explanatory view for illustrating network connectionfor the electronic blackboard system according to Embodiment 1 of thepresent invention;

[0056]FIG. 37 is an appearance view showing an image display unitaccording to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0057]FIG. 38 is a block diagram showing a control section in the imagedisplay unit according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0058]FIG. 39 is an explanatory view showing an output waveform from thetouch input device at the time of its non-contact state in the imagedisplay unit according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0059]FIG. 40 is an explanatory view showing an output waveform from thetouch input device at the time of its contact state in the image displayunit according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0060]FIG. 41 is an explanatory view showing a screen displaying apoint-operating area on the image display unit according to Embodiment 2of the present invention;

[0061]FIG. 42 is a flow chart showing a point operation in the imagedisplay unit according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0062]FIG. 43 is a view of processing steps showing display and deletionof a point-operated area in the image display unit according toEmbodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0063]FIG. 44 is a flow chart showing the processing for display anddeletion of a point-operated area in the image display unit according toEmbodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0064]FIG. 45 is an explanatory view showing a display of the displaycontents on the display screen displayed within the point-operated areain the image display unit according to Embodiment 2 of the presentinvention;

[0065]FIG. 46 is an explanatory view showing a moving operation of thepoints in association with transformation of coordinates in the imagedisplay unit according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0066]FIG. 47 is a time chart showing drag operations according tooperations within a point-operated area;

[0067]FIG. 48 is a block diagram showing a first example ofconfiguration of an input device according to Embodiment 3 of thepresent invention;

[0068]FIG. 49 is an explanatory view showing one example of anelectronic blackboard using the input device based on the first exampleof configuration according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0069]FIG. 50 is an explanatory view showing one example of a method ofdetecting a position of a person from an image in the input device basedon the first example of configuration according to Embodiment 3 of thepresent invention;

[0070]FIG. 51 is a block diagram showing a second example ofconfiguration of the input device according to Embodiment 3 of thepresent invention;

[0071]FIG. 52 is an explanatory view showing one example of anelectronic blackboard using the input device based on the second exampleof configuration according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0072]FIG. 53 is a block diagram showing a third example ofconfiguration of the input device according to Embodiment 3 of thepresent invention;

[0073]FIG. 54 is an explanatory view showing one example of anelectronic blackboard using the input device based on the third exampleof configuration according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0074]FIG. 55 is a block diagram showing a fourth example ofconfiguration of the input device according to Embodiment 3 of thepresent invention;

[0075]FIG. 56 is an explanatory view showing one example of anelectronic blackboard using the input device based on the fourth exampleof configuration according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0076]FIG. 57 is a block diagram showing a fifth example ofconfiguration of the input device according to Embodiment 3 of thepresent invention;

[0077]FIG. 58 is an explanatory view showing one example of anelectronic blackboard using the input device based on the fifth exampleof configuration according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0078]FIG. 59 is a block diagram when an input window (a ten-key displayspecifying window) for specifying a position where a ten-key isdisplayed is to be displayed on an entry screen in the input deviceaccording to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0079]FIG. 60 is an explanatory view for illustrating a method ofdeciding a position where a ten-key is displayed in the input deviceaccording to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0080]FIG. 61 is a block diagram showing hardware configuration of theinput device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0081]FIG. 62 is a block diagram showing an electronic blackboard systemin which a coordinate input device according to Embodiment 4 of thepresent invention is applied;

[0082]FIG. 63 is a perspective view of the electronic blackboard systemshown in FIG. 62;

[0083]FIG. 64 is a plan view showing a first example of configuration ofthe coordinate input device according to Embodiment 4 of the presentinvention;

[0084]FIG. 65 is a plan view showing a second example of configurationof the coordinate input device according to Embodiment 4 of the presentinvention;

[0085]FIG. 66 is a plan view showing a third example of configuration ofthe coordinate input device according to Embodiment 4 of the presentinvention;

[0086]FIG. 67 is a plan view showing a fourth example of configurationof the coordinate input device according to Embodiment 4 of the presentinvention;

[0087]FIG. 68 is a block diagram showing an electronic blackboard systemin which a coordinate input device according to Embodiment 5 of thepresent invention is applied;

[0088]FIG. 69 is a perspective view of the electronic blackboard systemshown in FIG. 68;

[0089]FIG. 70 is a plan view showing a first example of configuration ofthe coordinate input device according to Embodiment 5 of the presentinvention;

[0090]FIG. 71 is views showing identification of written-in points inthe coordinate input device based on the first example of configurationaccording to Embodiment 5 of the present invention: (a) is a graph forexplaining a cycle of detecting a written-in point, and (b) is a graphfor explaining identification of two written-in points;

[0091]FIG. 72 shows graphs for explaining identification of a written-inpoint different from that in FIG. 71;

[0092]FIG. 73 is a view for explaining identification of written-inpoints different from those in FIG. 71 and FIG. 72, and is a plan viewshowing the written-in points;

[0093]FIG. 74 is a graph showing identification of written-in points ina coordinate input device based on a second example of configurationaccording to Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

[0094]FIG. 75 is a block diagram showing a first example ofconfiguration of an input device according to Embodiment 6 of thepresent invention;

[0095]FIG. 76 is a waveform diagram showing an output waveform from atablet in the first example of configuration of the input deviceaccording to Embodiment 6 of the present invention;

[0096]FIG. 77 is a flow chart showing an operation of the first exampleof configuration of the input device according to Embodiment 6 of thepresent invention;

[0097]FIG. 78 is a block diagram showing a second example ofconfiguration of the input device according to Embodiment 6 of thepresent invention;

[0098]FIG. 79 is a flow chart showing an operation of the second exampleof configuration of the input device according to Embodiment 6 of thepresent invention;

[0099]FIG. 80 is a block diagram showing a third example ofconfiguration of the input device according to Embodiment 6 of thepresent invention;

[0100]FIG. 81 is a flow chart showing an operation of the third exampleof configuration of the input device according to Embodiment 6 of thepresent invention;

[0101]FIG. 82 is a block diagram showing a fourth example ofconfiguration of the input device according to Embodiment 6 of thepresent invention; and

[0102]FIG. 83 is a block diagram showing a fifth example ofconfiguration of the input device according to Embodiment 6 of thepresent invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0103] The electronic blackboard system according to the presentinvention is described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0104] The electronic blackboard system according to Embodiment 1 willbe described in detail in the order of:

[0105] 1. System configuration,

[0106] 2. Operation, and

[0107] 3. Effects.

[0108] 1. System Configuration

[0109]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the electronic blackboard systemaccording to Embodiment 1. The electronic blackboard system 100 shown inFIG. 1 mainly comprises a plasma display panel (Described “PDP”hereinafter) 101 for displaying the images, a touch input device 102provided on the front surface of the PDP 101 and capable of inputtingcharacters and graphics by touching a touch surface (write-in surface)with a fingertip or a touch pen, a controller for a touch input device(described “controller” hereinafter) 103 for performing an operation ofcalculation of a position of coordinates on the touch surface whentouched with a fingertip or a touch pen, and a computer 104 (personalcomputer) for receiving positional information for coordinates from thecontroller 103 and providing controls over the system as a whole such asprocessing for illustrating characters and graphics inputted through thetouch input device 102 onto the PDP 101.

[0110] Various types of peripheral equipment can be connected to thecomputer 104 of the electronic blackboard system 100. As an example,FIG. 1 shows a scanner 105 for reading images of a document and aprinter 106 for outputting image data onto a recording paper areconnected to the computer 104. Furthermore, the electronic blackboardsystem 100 can be connected to a network 107 through the computer 104,which allows data prepared by other computer that are connected on thenetwork 107 to be displayed on the PDP 101 or data prepared by theelectronic blackboard system 100 to be transferred to other computer.

[0111] Furthermore, a video input terminal and a speaker are provided inthe PDP 101 although they are omitted from the figure, and by connectingvarious types of information equipment and AV equipment such as a videoplayer 108, a laser disk player, a DVD player, or a video camera, thePDP 101 can be used as a large sized screen monitor.

[0112] Herein, a 40-inch or 50-inch large sized screen usable as anelectronic blackboard is used as the PDP 101. A plasma display isemployed as a display in Embodiment 1 because the plasma display hascharacteristics such that the display can be upsized, has highbrightness so that it is not required to darken the room as requiredwhen a projector is used, and that a view field angle is wide ascompared to that of a liquid crystal display and further moving imagescan smoothly be reproduced. As described above, as the plasma display isused, the display unit according to Embodiment 1 can be made thinner(minimized).

[0113] As a touch input device 102, a touch input device based on aultrasonic wave surface elastic wave system is employed. FIG. 2 is aview showing the touch input device 102 used in the electronicblackboard system 100. This touch input device 102 comprises atransparent board 200, and one of surfaces of the board 200 as a touchsurface (write-in surface) 201 for writing in characters and graphicswith a fingertip or a touch pen comprises a transmitting transducer 202for transmitting surface elastic waves, a receiving transducer 203 forreceiving the surface elastic waves transmitted from the transmittingtransducer 202, and reflection arrays 204, 205 each for reflecting thesurface elastic waves transmitted from the transmitting transducer 202and guiding the surface elastic waves to the receiving transducer 203,and also comprises a transmitting transducer 206 for transmitting thesurface elastic waves, receiving transducer 207 for receiving thesurface elastic waves transmitted from the transmitting transducer 206,and reflection arrays 208, 209 each for reflecting the surface elasticwaves transmitted from the transmitting transducer 206 and guiding thesurface elastic waves to the receiving transducer 207 respectively. Itshould be noted that a touch surface 201 has a size corresponding to ascreen size of the PDP 101.

[0114] In FIG. 2, the transmitting transducers 202, 206 and receivingtransducers 203, 207 are connected to the controller 103 through a cable210 and a connector 211 respectively. The cable 210 is preferably wiredso that it passes the shortest distance from the transmittingtransducers 202, 206 to the receiving transducers 203, 207 along theedge of the board 200, but the figure thereof is omitted herein.

[0115] When the cable 210 is connected to the receiving transducers 203,207, it is required to peel a shield layer of the cable 210 therefromand to be connected to the receiving transducer 203 and 207. Therefore,a portion of the cable 210 without the shielded layer works as anantenna, and receives the electromagnetic waves generated from the PDP101 as a noise, therefore, a shielding member such as a copper shieldingtape (copper foil tape) is provided between the PDP 101 and the board200. When the PDP 101 is combined with the touch input device 102 basedon a ultrasonic wave surface elastic wave system, this shielding tape isprovided because the inventors of the present invention have found thatthe touch input device 102 does not work with high precision because itis affected by the electromagnetic waves generated by the PDP 101.

[0116]FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing this shielding tape. FIG. 3shows a state of a portion on the board 200 in which the receivingtransducers 202, 206 are provided when viewed from the touch surface201, and the shielding tape 300 is adhered to a surface opposite to thePDP 101 of the board 200 (a surface opposite to the touch surface 201)with a masking tape 301 therebetween. This shielding tape 300 shown inFIG. 3 has a L-shape and it is confirmed as a result of experiments thata width of 35 mm±3 mm, a length in the longitudinal direction of theboard 200 of 70 mm±20 mm, and a length in the lateral direction of theboard 200 of 130 mm±20 mm is optimal.

[0117] It should be noted that, in FIG. 3, the shielding tape 300 isprovided between the PDP 101 and the board 200 so as to cover thereceiving transducers 203 and 207, but further provision of the sameshielding tape in the touch surface 201 can enhance noise control. Inthis case, the receiving transducers 203 and 207 may be covered with onesheet of shielding tape. However, when providing a shielding tape in theside of touch surface, it is required to take care so that the shieldingtape does not come in contact with the reflecting arrays 205 and 209.

[0118] As the board 200, any type of material such as glass plastic maybe used on condition that it is transparent and can propagate surfaceelastic waves. When the board 200 is a glass board, for example, thereflecting arrays 204, 205, 208 and 209 are formed by baking a glassboard 200 at a specified temperature after a screen is printed withglass paste.

[0119] Then, description is made for an outline of a method ofidentifying the coordinates of a position at which the touch surface istouched with a user's fingertip or a touch pen. FIG. 4 is an explanatoryview for illustrating processing of identifying coordinates of the touchposition. In FIG. 4, the transmitting transducer 202 and the receivingtransducer 203 are used for detecting a position of the touch in theX-axial direction, and the transmitting transducer 206 and the receivingtransducer 207 are used for detecting a position of the touch in theY-axial direction. Herein, description is made mainly for processing ofdetecting a position in the X-axial direction thereof for convenience ofthe description.

[0120] The processing to identify coordinates of a touch position isexecuted by the touch input device 102 and the controller 103. Thetransmitting transducer 202 receives an electric signal from thecontroller 103 and converts the received electric signal to a mechanicalvibration. As a result, there surface elastic waves propagating alongthe surface of the touch surface 201 of the board 200 or along theinterface between the board 200 and the touch surface 201 are generated.

[0121] The surface elastic waves generated by the transmittingtransducer 202 is reflected by 90 degrees with reflecting elementsconstituting the reflecting array 204 in the order from one closer tothe transmitting transducer 202 to propagate along the touch surface201. Namely, a phenomenon such that a portion of the surface elasticwaves is reflected with the reflecting elements constituting thereflecting array 204 and a portion thereof is passed through theelements is repeated, and the surface elastic waves propagate over theentire touch surface 201. The surface elastic waves reflected by each ofthe reflecting elements constituting the reflecting array 204 propagatealong the touch surface 201 in parallel to the longitudinal direction ofthe touch surface 201 and with a time difference based on a position ofany reflecting element on which the wave is reflected. Then thereflecting array 205 reflects the surface elastic waves propagatingalong the touch surface 201 by 90 degrees and guides the reflectedsurface elastic waves to the receiving transducer 203.

[0122] The receiving transducer 203 receives the surface elastic waves,converts the received waves into an electric signal, and inputs theelectric signal into the controller 103. The controller 103 amplifiesthe received electric signal and subjects it to rectification and A/Dconversion. Then, the controller 103 matches a position in the X-axialdirection in the touch surface 201 with a time by subjecting the A/Dconverted signal to signal processing along the time axis.

[0123] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that a usertouches an arbitrary position on the touch surface 201 with hisfingertip. In this case, the surface elastic waves propagating on thetouch position are absorbed or dispersed by the fingertip, and arelargely attenuated. By identifying a point of time when the wave isattenuated as described above according to the result of signalprocessing, a position of the touch in the X-axial direction can beidentified. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a solid line crossing thetouch surface 201 is identified as a position in the X-axial directionof the touch position.

[0124] The touch position in the Y-axial direction can be identified byexecuting the same processing as that for identifying a position in theX-axial direction by using the transmitting transducer 206, receivingtransducer 207 and reflecting arrays 208 and 209. Specifically, as shownin FIG. 4, a dotted line crossing the touch surface 201 is identified asa position in the Y-axial direction of the touch position.

[0125] The controller 103 identifies the positions in the X-axialdirection as well as in the Y-axial direction as described above, andinputs positional information for coordinate into the computer 104 shownin FIG. 1. The computer 104 executes various processing described latersuch as processing such as matching of a mouse at a position on thetouch surface 201 touched by a user and the position is displayed on thePDP 101 according to the received positional information forcoordinates.

[0126] It should be noted that the surface elastic waves at the time ofbeing received by the receiving transducers 203 and 207 is attenuateddue to reflection by the reflecting array as well as to propagationalong the touch surface 201, and an electric signal outputted from thereceiving transducers 203 and 207 is extremely low. Accordingly, whennoise such as the electromagnetic waves generated from the PDP 101 ismixed in the signal, it is impossible to detect attenuation of thesurface elastic waves when the touch surface 201 is touched due toinfluence of the noise. The shielding tape 300 shown in FIG. 3 isprovided to prevent generation of the state described above, andcoordinates of the touched position can be detected with high precisionin Embodiment 1 due to existence of this shielding tape 300. In otherwords, this shielding tape 300 has a great role to enable employment ofa plasma display as a display unit used with the touch input device 102based on a ultrasonic wave surface elastic wave system.

[0127] Then, description is made for general configuration of thecomputer 104 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the computer104. The computer 104 shown in FIG. 5 is a personal computer whichcomprises a CPU 500 for providing controls over the entire system; a ROM501 for storing therein a boot program or the like; a RAM 502 used as awork area of the CPU 500; a keyboard 503 used for inputting characters,numerical values, and various instructions or some other data; a mouse504 for moving a cursor and selecting an area; an operating system (OS)505; electronic blackboard software 506 for making the electronicblackboard system 100 function as an electronic blackboard; a touchpanel driver 507 for making the touch input device 102 and controller103 operate on the computer 104 as a coordinate input device; a harddisk 509 for storing various application programs 508 such as wordprocessor and spreadsheet software; a graphics board 510 connected tothe PDP 101 for providing controls over displays of images to the PDP101; a network card 511 (or may be a modem) for connecting theelectronic blackboard system 100 to the network 107 through the computer104; an interface (I/F) 512 for connecting thereto the controller 103,scanner 105 and printer 106; and a bus 513 for connecting the abovementioned component devices to each other.

[0128] Although the interface for connecting peripheral equipment to thecomputer 104 is shown as one block indicated by I/F 512 in FIG. 5 forconvenience, I/F 512 actually comprises a serial interface such asRS-232C for connecting thereto the controller 103, a parallel interfacesuch as Centronics for connecting thereto the printer 106, and a SCSIfor connecting thereto a scanner.

[0129] It should be noted that, as shown in FIG. 1, the controller 103is configured independently from the computer 104, however, thecontroller 103 may be built in inside the computer 104. Although notshown in FIG. 5 a floppy disk drive, a CD-ROM drive, and an MO drive areincorporated in the computer 104.

[0130] The component devices constituting the electronic blackboardsystem 100 as described above are accommodated in the frame unit in anintegrated form, and downsizing of a system as a whole, operability,adaptability for handling and convenience can be improved. Theelectronic blackboard system 100 is accommodated in the frame unit asdescribed above is because, a wide space for installation thereof isrequired if the component devices are discretely managed and a long timeis required for moving it from a place to another place as theelectronic blackboard system 100 comprises a plurality of componentdevices as shown in FIG. 1.

[0131]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the frame unit with the electronicblackboard system 100 accommodated therein viewed from the front sidethereof, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view thereof viewed from the rearside thereof. The frame unit 600 shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 comprises apanel section 601 for accommodating the PDP 101 and touch input device102 therein; a controller accommodating section 602 for accommodatingthe controller 103 therein; a stand 603 for supporting the panel section601 and the controller accommodating section 602 at a specified height;and an equipment accommodating section 604 for accommodating thecomputer 104, scanner 105, printer 106, and a video player 108 or thelike therein.

[0132] The PDP 101 and touch input device 102 are integrated so that thetouch input device 102 is positioned in front of the PDP 101, and asshown in FIG. 6, the touch input device 102 is accommodated in the panelsection 601 so that the touch surface 201 of the touch input device 102appears in the front section of the panel section 601. As describedabove, the panel section 601 accommodates therein the PDP 101 and touchinput device 102, and constitutes a display surface and a write-insurface (touch surface 201) of the electronic blackboard.

[0133] Furthermore, the controller 103 is accommodated, as shown in FIG.7, in the controller accommodating section 602 provided in the rearsurface of the panel section 601. The panel section 601 is mounted onthe stand 603 of the equipment accommodating section 604 through a stay605 to be supported so that the image display surface of the PDP 101 andthe touch surface 201 of the touch input device 101 are positioned at aspecified height. The controller accommodating section 602 is alsomounted on the stand 603.

[0134] It should be noted that, in the front side of the panel section601 shown in FIG. 6, the reference numeral 606 indicates a speaker andthe reference numeral 607 indicates a power lamp of the PDP 101.Furthermore, in the electronic blackboard system 100 according toEmbodiment 1, although detailed description is omitted herein, switchingof output sources of images to the PDP 101 of the computer 104 and thevideo player 108 and adjustment of a volume can be operated with aremote control unit, and the reference numeral 608 corresponds to aremote control light receiving section for receiving light from a remotecontrol unit.

[0135] Designated at the reference numeral 609, in the rear surface ofthe panel section 601 shown in FIG. 7, is a handle for moving theelectronic blackboard system 100, at 610 a control panel for settingbrightness and contrast or the like of the PDP 101, and at 611 an angleadjusting lever for adjusting the angle of the panel section 601described later respectively. Furthermore, a connector panel forconnecting the computer 104 and video player 108 to the PDP 101 andcontroller 103 is provided in the bottom surface of the controlleraccommodating section 602 although it is not shown in the figure.

[0136] Namely, an image output cable and an audio output cable for thecomputer 104 are connected to the PDP 101 through this connector panel,and the computer 104 and controller 103 are connected to each otherthrough this connector panel. Furthermore, various types of informationequipment and AV equipment such as a video player 108 are connected tothe PDP 101 through this connector panel.

[0137] The equipment accommodating section 604 of the frame unit 600comprises a computer accommodating section 612 for accommodating thecomputer 104 therein, a video accommodating section 613 foraccommodating various information equipment and AV equipment such as avideo player 108, a laser disk player, or a DVD player and a printeraccommodating section 614 for accommodating the printer 106 in thevertical direction from the bottom thereof. As described, by arrangingthe devices in the order of the heaviest one to a lighter one from thebottom in the vertical direction, stability of the frame unit 600 at thetime of movement and installation thereof can be insured even if thereis the board section 601 having the PDP 101 and touch input device 102in the upper side. Although an accommodating section for accommodatingthe scanner 105 shown in FIG. 1 is not provided in the equipmentaccommodating section 604, the accommodating section for the scanner 105may be provided therein on the condition that the devices are arrangedin the order of the heaviest one to a lighter one from the bottom in thevertical direction.

[0138] The computer accommodating section 612 has doors on both sidesthereof, through which a floppy disk and a CD-ROM are insertablethereinto. The video accommodating section 613 has a door on the frontside thereof, through which a video tape and a laser disk are insertablethereinto. Furthermore, the printer accommodating section 614 has a dooron the front side thereof, through which a printer can be operated, andthere is a place on this door so that a touch pen (not shown in thefigure) used for touching the touch surface 201 of the touch inputdevice 102 can be accommodated therein. In addition, the rear surface ofthe printer accommodating section 614 is not covered with the frame,therefore, the printer 106 can be accommodated with a paper feed traypositioned at the external side of the frame unit 600 (Refer to FIG. 8),and operability can be enhanced.

[0139] It should be noted that, in the front side of the equipmentaccommodating section 604 shown in FIG. 6, the reference numeral 615indicates a keyboard base for placing thereon a keyboard 503 for thecomputer 104 so that it can be used at any time, and the referencenumeral 616 indicates casters for moving the electronic blackboardsystem 100 with the entire frame unit 600. Designated at the referencenumeral 617, in the rear surface of the equipment accommodating section604 shown in FIG. 7, is a power tap for supplying power to the PDP 101,controller 103, and computer 104, at 618 a cable guide for wiringvarious cables, and at 619 a main power switch for the electronicblackboard system 100 respectively.

[0140] As described above, by accommodating the electronic blackboardsystem 100 in the frame unit 600, the electronic blackboard system 100can easily be moved and installed only by moving the frame unit 600.Furthermore, stability of the frame unit 600 when it is moved andinstalled can be insured because the devices are arranged in the orderof the heaviest one to a lighter one from the bottom in the direction ofgravity (vertical direction) in the equipment accommodating section 604of the frame unit 600.

[0141] Furthermore, taking into consideration that, for instance, lightof a fluorescent tube directly enters the display surface of the PDP101, which may cause an image appearing on the PDP 101 to be difficultto be seen, an angle adjusting mechanism section for adjusting an angleof the board 601 (a display surface and a write-in surface of aelectronic blackboard) is provided in the frame unit 600 describedabove. Then, description is made for an example of configuration of thisangle adjusting mechanism section.

[0142]FIG. 8 is a side view of the frame unit 600 viewed from the rightside thereof. In FIG. 8, the reference numeral 800 indicates a pivotalsupporting point, and the reference numeral 801 indicates a pivotalguide, and the board section 601 is rotatably mounted on the stand 603existing in both sides of the frame unit 600 around the pivotalsupporting point 800 through the stay 605. Namely, the board section 601can be rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 8 aroundthe pivotal supporting point 800 just like nodding so that an angle atwhich light of a fluorescent tube is not reflected into the PDP 101 canbe adjusted. Herein the pivot guide 801 restricts an angle of the boardsection 601 rotating around the pivotal supporting point 800, and theangle adjusting lever 611 rotates the board section 601 through amechanism described later to adjust an angle thereof.

[0143] In Embodiment 1, it is assumed that the angle of the boardsection 601 can be adjusted in a range from zero degree (the boardsection 601 in an upright position) to five degrees (the board section601 in a downward-slanding position) with an operation of the angleadjusting lever 611. It is also assumed that the angle adjustingmechanism section 802 comprises the pivotal supporting point 800, pivotguide 801, angle adjusting lever 611, and each component memberdescribed below.

[0144] It should be noted that, in FIG. 8, the reference numeral 803indicates a tray for the printer 106 accommodated in the printeraccommodating section 614. As shown in FIG. 8, the angle adjusting lever611 for adjusting an angle of the board section 601 is provided at acertain position so as not to interfere with feeding of recording paperto the tray 803.

[0145]FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are view showing configuration of the angleadjusting mechanism section 802 viewed from the upper side thereofrespectively, and FIG. 9 shows the board section 601 positioned at anangle of five degrees and FIG. 10 shows the board section 601 positionedat an angle of zero degree. Furthermore, FIG. 11 is a view showingconfiguration of the angle adjusting mechanism section 802 shown in FIG.9 and FIG. 10 viewed from the side thereof, and the figure correspondsto the board section 601 shown in FIG. 10 positioned at an angle of zerodegree.

[0146] In FIG. 9 to FIG. 11, the reference numeral 900 indicates a PDPangle pivotally mounted between the stays 605 with a PDP supportingpoint 901, and the reference numeral 902 indicates a stand staypivotally mounted between the stands 603 with a stand supporting point903 and with a lever bearer 904 used for angle adjustment of the boardsection 601 together with the angle adjusting lever 611 mounted thereon.

[0147] The angle adjusting lever 611 has a shape for sandwichablyholding the PDP angle 900 and the stand stay 902 therebetween and ispivotally mounted on a lever supporting point 905 in the side of the PDPangle 900. In addition, provided in the angle adjusting lever 611 is abearing 908 contacting a flat section 906 as well as a slant section 907of the lever bearer 904 mounted on the stand stay 902 for rotating inassociation with pivot of the angle adjusting lever 611.

[0148] Herein, it is assumed that the angle adjusting mechanism section802 is in a state shown in FIG. 9 and the board section 611 ispositioned at an angle of five degrees. When a user operates the angleadjusting lever 611 to the left direction (to the direction indicated bythe arrow in the figure), the angle adjusting lever 611 pivots aroundthe lever supporting point 905, the bearing 908 of the angle adjustinglever 611 moves along the flat section 906 of the lever bearer 904 inassociation with the pivot and also moves upward along the slope of theslant section 907, and as a result, force to push out the PDP angle 900forward is generated. Namely, the lever bearer 904 is fixed to the stand603 through the stand stay 902, and the PDP angle 900 is mounted on thestays pivotally supporting the board section 601 at the pivotalsupporting points 800 and the pivot guides 801, therefore, the boardsection 601 can be rotated together with the PDP angle 900 (the loweredge of the board section 601 can be pushed forward) with by operatingthe angle adjusting lever 611.

[0149] Through this operation of the angle adjusting lever 611, theangle adjusting mechanism section 802 is changed from the state shown inFIG. 9 to that shown in FIG. 10, and an angle of the board section 601can be changed from five degrees to zero degree. Namely, as shown inFIG. 9 and FIG. 10, by enlarging a space between the PDP angle 900 andthe stand stay 902 from L1 to L2, the angle of the board section 601 canbe changed from five degrees to zero degree.

[0150] Similarly, when a user operates the angle adjusting lever 611from the state shown in FIG. 10 to the right direction (in the directionindicated by the arrow in the figure), the angle of the board section601 can be changed from zero degree to five degrees.

[0151] It should be noted that the angle of the angle adjusting lever611 shown in FIG. 11 is changed in association with changing of theangle of the board section 601 although it is not shown in the figure.However, each of the PDP stay 900 and the stand stay 902 is rotatablyfixed respectively, therefore, both of these sections are not affectedeven by a change in the angle of the board section 601.

[0152] As shown in FIG. 12, by providing one or a plurality of springs1200 between the PDP angle 900 and stand stay 902, operability of theangle adjusting lever 611 can be enhanced. This configuration isobtained based on the consideration that the operation of the angleadjusting lever 611 may be heavy depending on the weight of the boardsection 901 and the length of the angle adjusting lever 611. Therefore,number of springs 1200 and their force are adjusted according to theweight of the board section 601, which allows operability to be furtherenhanced.

[0153] Also the lever bearer 904 is fixed to the stand stay 902 with,for instance, a screw, and a hole (not shown) on the stand stay 902 intowhich the screw is put is preferably a rectangular hole. As a result, afixed position of the lever bearer 904 can be changed to meet the user'sneed, therefore, an adjustable range of an angle of the board section601 can be changed.

[0154] Furthermore, even when the lever bearer 904 is provided on thePDP stay 900 as shown in FIG. 13 with the lever supporting point 905provided on the stand stay 902 and the configuration is reverse to thatof the angle adjusting mechanism section 802 shown in FIG. 9 to FIG. 12,the angle of the board section 601 can also be adjusted.

[0155] The configuration of the angle adjusting mechanism section 802described above is only one of the examples, and it is clear thatvarious designs and modifications are possible. For example, a componentmember of the angle adjusting mechanism section 802 including the angleadjusting lever 611 shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 may be provided in theupper side of the board section 601 and the pivotal supporting point 800and the pivot guide 801 may be reversely positioned.

[0156] As described above, by providing an angle adjusting mechanismsection 802 for adjusting an angle of the board section 601 in the frameunit 600, incoming interference light into the PDP 101, especially,light from lighting equipment such as a fluorescent tube provided on theceiling can be avoided. Therefore, an image on the screen can easily beseen and convenience of the electronic blackboard system 100 can beimproved.

[0157] 2. Operation

[0158] Next, description is made for an operation of the electronicblackboard system 100 having the same configuration as described abovein the order of:

[0159] (1) Outline,

[0160] (2) Case of using the system as an electronic blackboard,

[0161] (3) Case of using the system as a computer,

[0162] (4) Adjustment of a touch input device,

[0163] (5) Use of AV equipment, and

[0164] (6) Connection to a network.

[0165] (1) Outline

[0166] The electronic blackboard system 100 according to Embodiment 1can be called a communication tool applicable to a conference, a meetingor similar occasions by merging the PDP 101 having a large-sized screenwith the touch input device 102 based on the ultrasonic surface elasticwave system, and enabling free write-in onto a large-sized screen suchas a projector with a fingertip or a touch pen and clear display ofcomputer data thereon.

[0167] More specifically, when a user writes characters and drawsgraphics on the touch surface 201 of the touch input device 102 with hisfingertip or a touch pen, the characters and graphics can be displayedon the PDP 101 as they are. Furthermore, a screen of word processor orspreadsheet program is captured, and it is possible to write charactersand graphics onto the captured screen and underline a part of thewritten data on the screen with a pen tool.

[0168] In the system, a screen displayed on the PDP 101 is set to onepage, and written information is managed as page units, thereforeediting processing such as displaying a list of whole pages, sorting thepages, adding pages thereto, and deleting pages therefrom can beperformed. Each created page can be saved as a file, and used by callingit any number of times when a conference on the same subject is heldseveral times. The called file can be processed, and the called file canbe reused for preparing a new material.

[0169] A file prepared with other computer using a presentation softwareis read in through the network 107, and a presentation can also beperformed using the read-in file. As presentation can be performed usingdata in a file, an OHP film required for presentation using a projectoris not needed. As described above, during the presentation, marking canbe made onto certain data on the screen on which any file prepared withthe presentation software is open through the touch input device 102,therefore more effective presentation can be carried out.

[0170] Furthermore, the system is applicable as an ordinary computer,and can also be utilized for an educational activity on a computeroperating method using a large-sized PDP 101.

[0171] (2) Case of Using the System as an Electronic Blackboard

[0172] Description is made hereinafter for the case of using theelectronic blackboard system 100 as an electronic blackboard in theorder of:

[0173] 1) Electronic blackboard software,

[0174] 2) Write-in of freehand characters and graphics,

[0175] 3) Deletion of freehand characters and graphics,

[0176] 4) Drawing of graphics,

[0177] 5) Creation of a new page,

[0178] 6) Operation for opening a previously prepared file,

[0179] 7) Operation for capturing a screen of word processor, aspreadsheet program, or presentation software,

[0180] 8) Operation for displaying pages in creation in a list form,

[0181] 9) Operation for saving created pages,

[0182] 10) Printing, and

[0183] 11) Other.

[0184] 1) Electronic Blackboard Software

[0185] The electronic blackboard system 100 can be operated as anelectronic blackboard by executing the electronic blackboard software506 shown in FIG. 5 using the CPU 500. This electronic blackboardsoftware 506 is one of application programs operating under the controlby the OS 505 the same as the various types of application program 508such as word processor and spreadsheet program. In Embodiment 1, it ispreferable for an aspect of workability if the program is set to asequence that, in response to turning ON the main power switch 619 forthe system shown in FIG. 7, the OS 505 is started and then theelectronic blackboard software is immediately started. However, thefollowing sequence may be allowable that a desktop screen provided bythe OS 505 is displayed on starting the system, one of the iconsappearing on the desktop screen is selected, and the electronicblackboard software 506 is started.

[0186] When the electronic blackboard software 506 is started, anelectronic blackboard screen 1400 as shown in FIG. 14 appears on the PDP101. This electronic blackboard screen 1400 corresponds to, forinstance, a write-in surface of a white board. When a user drawscharacters and graphics with his fingertip or a touch pen on the touchsurface 201 of the touch input device 102 positioning in the front sideof the PDP 101 displaying this electronic blackboard screen 1400, thecharacters and graphics created by the user on the touch surface 201appear on the electronic blackboard screen 1400 of the PDP 101 throughthe touch input device 102, controller 103, and computer 104 as they areas if the characters and graphics were created on a white board with apen.

[0187] The electronic blackboard software 506 is designed so as tomanage information in units of pages, and the electronic blackboardscreen 1400 corresponds to an information write-in area by one pagemanaged by the electronic blackboard software 506. A user can create aplurality of pages by operating the electronic blackboard software 506,and an arbitrary page of the pages can be displayed as the electronicblackboard screen 1400.

[0188] Furthermore, the electronic blackboard software 506 displays atoolbar 1401 including a plurality of buttons for various operations onthe electronic blackboard screen 1400. Description is made herein for anoutline of functions assigned to the buttons in the toolbar 1401. Itshould be noted that, in addition to the toolbar 1401, an extensiontoolbar (Refer to FIG. 15) and a graphics drawing toolbar (Refer to FIG.16) are created in the toolbar appearing on the electronic blackboardscreen 1400 as described later.

[0189] computer screen button 1402:

[0190] Display on the PDP 101 is switched to a screen for a computer (adesktop screen or a screen for other application program).

[0191] pen button 1403:

[0192] Characters and lines can be drawn freehand on the PDP 101 (use ofa pen tool is specified).

[0193] eraser button 1404:

[0194] Freehand characters and lines can be deleted.

[0195] previous page button 1405:

[0196] A previous page is displayed.

[0197] page number window 1406:

[0198] A page number of a page currently displayed as an electronicblackboard screen 1400 is displayed.

[0199] next page button 1407:

[0200] A next page is displayed.

[0201] printing button 1408:

[0202] A page or pages in creation are printed.

[0203] thumbnail button 1409:

[0204] Pages constituting a file in preparation are displayed in a listform.

[0205] end button 1410:

[0206] An electronic blackboard software 506 is ended.

[0207] extension button 1411:

[0208] An extension toolbar 1500 shown in FIG. 15 is displayed. When theextension button 1411 in the extension toolbar 1500 is touched, theextension toolbar is returned to the toolbar 1401 shown in FIG. 14.

[0209] Description is made for functions assigned to buttons in theextension toolbar 1500 displayed when the extension button 1411 istouched with reference to FIG. 15. It should be noted that, the samereference numerals are assigned to the buttons corresponding to those inthe toolbar 1401 shown in FIG. 14 and description thereof is omittedherein.

[0210] file button 1501:

[0211] A new page is opened or a previously prepared file can be opened.

[0212] save button 1502:

[0213] A currently prepared file is saved.

[0214] display button 1503

[0215] Switching to any of thumbnail display, whole display, or towindow display, and zoom (enlarged) display can be set.

[0216] graphics drawing button 1504:

[0217] A graphics drawing toolbar 1600 shown in FIG. 16 is displayed,and lines, rectangles, ovals can be created (Use of graphics drawingtool is specified). Each button in the graphics drawing toolbar 1600 isdescribed later.

[0218] background setting button 1505:

[0219] A background color of the electronic blackboard screen 1400displayed on the PDP 101 can be set.

[0220] option button 1506:

[0221] Display of the electronic blackboard software 506 when power isON and processing is ended and insertion of a page when other screen iscaptured can be set, which is described later. Furthermore, change ofwork folders can be set.

[0222] help button 1506:

[0223] A help screen with operations and instruction of functionsdescribed thereon can be displayed.

[0224] Furthermore, description is made for functions assigned tobuttons in the graphics drawing toolbar 1600 displayed when the graphicsdrawing button 1504 is touched with reference to FIG. 16.

[0225] select button 1601:

[0226] When created graphics is to be edited, any graphics to be editedcan be selected.

[0227] line button 1602:

[0228] A line can be drawn.

[0229] rectangle button 1603:

[0230] A rectangle can be drawn.

[0231] ellipse button 1604:

[0232] An ellipse can be drawn.

[0233] edit button 1605:

[0234] A created graphics is edited.

[0235] It should be noted that, in the electronic blackboard software506, it can be found which of the buttons a user has touched accordingto positional information for coordinates inputted from the controller103.

[0236] Also the user touches a specified position of each of thetoolbars shown in FIG. 14 to FIG. 16 with his fingertip and moves thefingertip as it is, so that the toolbar can be moved to a desired place.

[0237] Furthermore, the electronic blackboard screen 1400 shown in FIG.14 is displayed on the whole display area of the PDP 101 in a displayformat so-called full screen display. The user touches the displaybutton 1503 in the extension toolbar 1500 and carries out a specifiedoperation, and the electronic blackboard screen 1400 can be switched towindow display. Furthermore, as the electronic blackboard software 506is one of the application programs operating on the OS 505, by touchingthe computer Screen button 1402 in the toolbar 1401 (or extensiontoolbar 1500) as described above, the display of the PDP 101 can easilybe switched from the electronic blackboard screen 1400 to a desktopscreen or a display screen of the word processor or the like.

[0238] Furthermore, an operation of the touch input device 102 (touchthe touch surface 201) may be performed with any tool, in addition to afingertip and a touch pen, on condition that it can attenuate surfaceelastic waves. Therefore, even if expression of, for instance, “touchwith a fingertip” is found in the description below, the same operationcan be carried out by touching the touch surface with a touch pen orsome other thing.

[0239] 2) Write-in of Freehand Characters and Graphics

[0240] Description is made for various operations using the electronicblackboard software 506 one after another. Herein, description is madefor a method of writing in characters and graphics freehand.

[0241] Prepared in the electronic blackboard software 506 is a pen toolfor writing characters and graphics freehand on the electronicblackboard screen 1400 using a user's fingertip or a touch pen just likea real pen. This pen tool is made available when a user touches the penbutton 1403 in the toolbar 1401 (or extension toolbar 1500). The userwrites a character or a line with his fingertip or the touch pen on thetouch surface 201 as when a character is written freehand on ablackboard or a whiteboard, it I possible to display the correspondingcharacter and line on the electronic blackboard screen 1400. In a caseof this pen tool, the user's fingertip or the touch pen works like areal pen, and it is also possible to set a color and a thickness of aline of characters and graphics which can be written with the fingertip.FIG. 17 is an explanatory view showing one example of how a result ofwriting characters and lines freehand is displayed on the electronicblackboard screen 1400 on the PDP 101.

[0242] Herein, simple description is made for processing of displaying acharacter on the electronic blackboard screen 1400 with reference withFIG. 1, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. When the user writes a character with hisfingertip on the touch surface 201, the surface elastic wavespropagating on the touch surface 201 are attenuated. As a result, thecontroller 103 can obtain positional information for coordinatescorresponding to a trail of the fingertip according to the attenuationof the surface elastic waves, and the obtained positional informationfor coordinates is successively inputted into the computer 104. In thecomputer 104, the electronic blackboard software 506 and the OS 505generate drawing information for drawing a line with the preset colorand thickness of the line when receiving the positional information forcoordinates from the controller 103, and write the generated informationin a video memory (not shown) of the graphics board 510 matching aposition of corresponding coordinates. The graphics board 510 transmitsan image signal to the PDP 101 according to the contents of the videomemory, and provides controls for the processing of displaying the samecharacter as that written on the touch surface 210 by the user on thePDP 101.

[0243] In simple words, the computer 104 recognizes the touch inputdevice 102 and the controller 103 as a pointing device such as a mouse,therefore, the same processing as that when a character is written witha mouse on the drawing software is executed in the computer 104. Itshould be noted that, the processing is executed in the steps describedabove also in the processing for deleting a character and creatinggraphics described below.

[0244] 3) Deletion of Freehand Characters and Graphics

[0245] A user can delete freehand characters and graphics on theelectronic blackboard screen 1400 like deleting them with an eraser bytouching the eraser button 1404. When the eraser button 1404 is touched,a user's fingertip or a touch pen can be used like a real eraser, and asize of the eraser, namely an area in which characters and graphics areto be deleted in one operation can be set. FIG. 18 is an explanatoryview showing how the freehand characters and lines shown in FIG. 17 aredeleted with an eraser 1800.

[0246] In this mode of deleting freehand characters, as shown in FIG.19, freehand characters and lines to be deleted are enclosed with a box1900 and the characters and lines in the box 1900 can be deleted in oneoperation (data enclosed and deleted).

[0247] 4) Drawing of Graphics

[0248] In the electronic blackboard software 506 graphics drawing toolsfor drawing graphics such as lines, rectangles and ellipse are madeavailable. The graphics drawing tools can be used through the drawingtoolbar 1600 shown in FIG. 16. A user touches the extension button 1411in the toolbar 1400 (Refer to FIG. 14) and gets the extension toolbar1500 displayed (Refer to FIG. 15), and then touches the graphics drawingbutton 1504 in the extension toolbar 1500, so that the drawing toolbar1600 shown in FIG. 16 can be displayed on the electronic blackboardscreen 1400.

[0249] {circle over (1)} Drawing of a Line

[0250] When a line is to be drawn, a user may perform operations oftouching the line button 1602 in the drawing toolbar 1600 with hisfingertip, touching an arbitrary place on the touch surface 201 as astarting point of the line with the fingertip, moving the fingertip keptin its state as far as a place which is the end point, and moving thefingertip off the touch surface 201. As a result, as shown in FIG. 20, aline is created on the electronic blackboard screen 1400.

[0251] {circle over (2)} Drawing of a Rectangle

[0252] When a rectangle is to be created, a user may perform operationsof touching the rectangle button 1603 in the drawing toolbar 1600 withhis fingertip, touching an arbitrary place on the touch surface 201 withthe fingertip, moving the fingertip kept in its state in an arbitrarydirection, and moving the fingertip off the touch surface 201. As aresult, as shown in FIG. 21, a rectangle is created on the electronicblackboard screen 1400.

[0253] Furthermore, in the electronic blackboard software 506, afunction enabling easy creation of a table using the rectangle createdas described above. At first, there is performed setting of touching thebackground setting button 1505 in the extension toolbar 1500 to displaya setting screen (not shown), and displaying a grid on the background ofthe electronic blackboard screen 1400. In that case, longitudinal andlateral distance of a grid, and a left-start position and a upper-startposition can be specified. In addition, for convenience of use when atable is created with a grid, there is prepared a setting that a createdrectangle is displayed so as to match the grid.

[0254] When a setting for the grid is ended, the grid appears on theelectronic blackboard screen 1400 as shown in FIG. 22. By repeatedlydrawing a rectangle as described above, the table as shown in FIG. 23can be created. It should be noted that, if a setting that a createdrectangle is displayed so as to match the grid is executed when a gridis to be set, the electronic blackboard software 506 executes theprocessing of drawing rectangles along the grid.

[0255] {circle over (3)} Drawing of an Ellipse

[0256] When an ellipse is to be created, a user may perform operationsof touching the ellipse button 1604 in the drawing toolbar 1600 with hisfingertip, touching an arbitrary place on the touch surface 201 with thefingertip, moving the fingertip kept in its state in an arbitrarydirection, and moving the fingertip off the touch surface 201. As aresult, as shown in FIG. 24, an ellipse is created on the electronicblackboard screen 1400.

[0257] {circle over (4)} Modification of a Created Graphics

[0258] When a created graphics is to be modified, a user touches theselect button 1601 in the drawing toolbar 1600 with his fingertip,touches any part of a line of the graphics to be modified, and selectsthe graphics. As a result, as shown in FIG. 25(a), a rectangular mark(handle) 2500 surrounding the selected graphics is displayed.

[0259] Then, the user touches any part of the handle 2500 with hisfingertip, and moves the fingertip kept in its state, so that a size anda shape of the graphics can be transformed in association with itsmovement. FIG. 25(b) shows how a graphics is enlarged by moving the partof the handle 2500 in the right lower side of the handle 2500 shown inFIG. 25(a).

[0260] {circle over (5)} Movement of a Created Graphics

[0261] When an already created graphics is to be moved, a user touchesthe select button 1601 in the drawing toolbar 1600 with his fingertip,touches any part of a line of the graphics to be modified, and selectsthe graphics. As a result, as shown in FIG. 26(a), a handle 2500surrounding the selected graphics is displayed.

[0262] Then, the user touches any part of a line of the graphics withhis fingertip, and moves the fingertip kept in its state, SO that thegraphics can be moved in association with its movement. FIG. 26(b) showshow the graphics shown in FIG. 26(a) has been moved in the rightdirection.

[0263] {circle over (6)} Edition of a Created Graphics

[0264] Herein, edition of a created graphics indicates cut or copy ofthe graphics or the like. At first, when a created graphics is to be cutout and pasted at an arbitrary position, the user touches the selectbutton 1601 in the drawing toolbar 1600 with his fingertip, and touchesany part of a line of the graphics to be cut out to select the graphics.Then, when the edit button 1605 in the drawing toolbar 1600 is touchedwith the fingertip, an edit menu 2700 shown in FIG. 27 is displayed onthe electronic blackboard screen 1400. Then, when the user touches “cut”in the edit menu 2700, the selected graphics is cut out.

[0265] In order to paste the cut-out graphics, the edit menu 2700 isdisplayed again, in which “paste” is touched, and when an arbitraryplace on the electronic blackboard screen 1400 is touched, the cut-outgraphics is pasted at the touched place.

[0266] However, when the cut-out graphics is to be pasted not in acurrently displayed page but in another page, the user may performoperations of touching the previous page button 1405 or the next pagebutton 1407 in the extension toolbar 1600, making a desired pagedisplayed, and pasting the graphics as described above.

[0267] When a created graphics is to be copied and pasted in anarbitrary place, the same operation as those in the case of cut may beperformed except touching “copy” in the edit menu 2700.

[0268] Next description is made for a case of deleting a createdgraphics. As described in the cut operation for cutting of a graphics, agraphics to be deleted is selected and the edit menu 2700 is displayed.When “delete” in the edit menu 2700 is touched, the selected graphics isdeleted.

[0269] It should be noted that, when a user wants to select all of thecreated graphics and cut, copy, or delete it, “select all” in the editmenu 2700 is touched, so that all of the created graphics is selectedand the operation of cut, copy, or delete can be carried out to all thegraphics. It should be noted that, if “select all” is touched, a handlesurrounding all the graphics is displayed, and all the graphics can bemoved with the fingertip.

[0270] 5) Creation of a New Page

[0271] When a new page other than a page currently displayed as theelectronic blackboard screen 1400 is to be created, a user may touch thenext page button 1407 in the toolbar 1401 (or Extension toolbar 1500).When the next page button 1407 is touched, the electronic blackboardsoftware 506 generates a new page and display it as electronicblackboard screen 1400.

[0272] It should be noted that, if a plurality of pages are currentlycreated, the next page button 1407 is touched to display the final page,and by touching the next page button 1407 again, a new page can becreated.

[0273] Furthermore, when a previous page is to be opened, the user maytouch the previous page button 1405 in the toolbar 1401 (or extensiontoolbar 1500). When the previous page button 1405 is touched, theelectronic blackboard software 506 displays a corresponding page aselectronic blackboard screen 1400.

[0274] 6) Operation for Opening a Previously Prepared File

[0275] In order to open a previously prepared file, the file button 1501in the extension toolbar 1500 is touched to display a file menu (notshown), and “open” in the file menu is touched to display a dialog box2800 shown in FIG. 28. Then, a required file name is touched forselection, and an “open” button 2801 is touched, so that a page of acorresponding file is displayed as the electronic blackboard screen1400. It should be noted that, a file can be opened by touching a filename twice in a row (described “double touch” hereinafter”) likeso-called “double click”.

[0276] When the contents of previously prepared file is not clear,operations of displaying a list of the files by using a file thumbnailfunction, confirming the contents, and opening the target file can beperformed. To use the file thumbnail function, a “thumbnail” button 2802in the dialog box 2800 is touched to display the thumbnail dialog box2900 as shown in FIG. 29, and a list of the files is displayed in thethumbnail form in the box. Thumbnail images to be displayed here areheader pages of the files respectively. Then, a desired thumbnail istouched to be selected, and “open” button 2901 is touched, or thedesired thumbnail image is double-touched, so that a page of acorresponding file is displayed as the electronic blackboard screen1400.

[0277] It should be noted that in order to prepare a new file, the filebutton in the extension toolbar 1500 is touched to display the file menu(not shown), and when “new file” in the file menu is touched, a new pageis displayed on the electronic blackboard screen 1400.

[0278] 7) Operation for Capturing a Screen of Word Processor, aSpreadsheet Program, or Presentation Software (Capturing Function)

[0279] The electronic blackboard software 506 has a “capture” functionfor capturing the contents of a file prepared with the word processor, aspreadsheet program, or presentation software as a background of theelectronic blackboard screen 1400. Description is made hereinafter forthe processing of capturing the screen of word processor, spreadsheetprogram, or presentation software by using this capturing function.

[0280] At first, by touching the computer screen button 1402 in thetoolbar 1401 (or the extension toolbar 1500 by a user, as shown in FIG.30, the display of the PDP 101 is switched from the electronicblackboard screen 1400 to a computer screen 3000. In FIG. 30, thereference numeral 3001 indicates a capture toolbar displayed when thedisplay is switched to the computer screen 3000. Functions allocated tothe buttons in the capture toolbar 3001 are as follows.

[0281] electronic blackboard screen button 3002:

[0282] Display is switched from the computer screen 3000 to theelectronic blackboard screen 1400.

[0283] capture button 3003:

[0284] A screen displayed on the computer screen 3000 is captured.

[0285] mouse button 3004:

[0286] In an environment where a right button of a two-button type ofmouse is usable (e.g., when Windows (trademark) of Microsoft is used asOS), functions assigned to the right button of the mouse becomeavailable.

[0287] Then, in the computer screen 3000 shown in FIG. 30, the usertouches (double touch) an icon of a desired application program or anicon of a desired file to start a corresponding application program, andalso touches the capture button 3003 after displaying the target file onthe PDP 101. As a result, the electronic blackboard software 506captures the currently displayed screen and switches the display on thePDP 101 to the electronic blackboard screen 1400, as shown in FIG. 31,to display the captured screen as a background of the electronicblackboard screen 1400.

[0288] Then, as shown in FIG. 32, the user can write characters andgraphics on the electronic blackboard screen 1400 in the method asdescribed above. As the screen of word processor, a spreadsheet program,or presentation software or the like can easily be captured as abackground of the electronic blackboard screen 1400 as described above,effective presentation can be carried out by using the electronicblackboard system 100.

[0289] Namely, while presentation is being carried out by usingpresentation software with the electronic blackboard system 100, if auser wants to write something on the screen to describe it, the currentscreen is captured as soon as the capture button 3003 is touched toswitch to the electronic blackboard screen 1400 as shown in FIG. 31, andthe user can write a desired topic on the screen. Then, when the userwants to return the presentation software, the screen is switched to thescreen of the presentation software (computer screen 3000) in responseto touching the computer screen button 1402 with the user. The capturedscreen with characters or the like written thereon can be saved asdescribed later.

[0290] It should be noted that, description has been made here for themethod of displaying the computer screen 3000 once, starting theapplication program, and capturing a desired screen, but by directlyspecifying a file of the word processor or spreadsheet program from theelectronic blackboard software 506, a corresponding application programis started from the electronic blackboard screen 1400 and a specifiedfile can be opened. When the user wants to capture the screen of theapplication program, the same operations as those described above may becarried out. Furthermore, when other screen of the application programis captured, touching the next page button 1407 allows the screen of theapplication program to be displayed again on the PDP 101.

[0291] 8) Operation for Displaying Pages in Creation in a List Form

[0292] In the electronic blackboard software 506, all of the pages increation can be displayed in a thumbnail form. When the pages aredisplayed in a list form with thumbnails, a user touches the thumbnailbutton 1409 in the toolbar 1401 (or the extension toolbar 1500). Theelectronic blackboard software 506 displays, when the thumbnail button1409 is touched, a thumbnail display dialog box 3300 for displayingpages in creation in a thumbnail form on the electronic blackboardscreen 1400 as shown in FIG. 33.

[0293] Designated at the reference numeral 3301, in this thumbnaildisplay dialog box 3300, is an open button, at 3302 a close button, at3303 a backward button, at 3304 a forward button, at 3305 an insertbefore button, at 3306 an insert after button, at 3307 a delete button,and at 3308 a print button respectively.

[0294] When the thumbnail display dialog box 3300 is displayed, the usercan perform operations described below.

[0295] {circle over (1)} Operation for Specifying and Opening a Page

[0296] A desired thumbnail (page) in the thumbnail display dialog box3300 is touched and selected, and the open button 3301 is touched, thenthe selected page can be displayed on the electronic blackboard screen1400. Furthermore, a desired page is double-touched, so that the pagecan also be displayed as an electronic blackboard screen 1400.

[0297] {circle over (2)} Movement of a Page

[0298] A page to be moved in the thumbnail display dialog box 3300 istouched and selected, and when the page is to be moved backward from thecurrent page, the backward button 3303 is touched, and the forwardbutton 3304 is touched when the page is to be moved forward from thecurrent page. By moving the page as described above, an operation forreplacing pages can be carried out.

[0299] {circle over (3)} Operation for Inserting a New Page

[0300] A previous page or a next page of a page to be inserted anew inthe thumbnail display dialog box 3300 is touched and selected, and whenthe page is to be inserted before the selected page, the insert beforebutton 3305 is touched, and the insert after button 3306 is touched whenthe page is to be inserted after the selected page. By operating asdescribed above, a new page can be inserted in a desired position.

[0301] It should be noted that, by selecting the final page and touchingthe insert next button 3306, the same operation as that for creating anew page by touching the next page button 1407 described above can beperformed.

[0302] {circle over (4)} Operation for Deleting a Page

[0303] A page to be deleted in the thumbnail display dialog box 3300 istouched to be selected, and the delete button 3307 is touched, so thatthe selected page can be deleted.

[0304] {circle over (5)} Operation for Printing a Page

[0305] A page to be printed in the thumbnail display dialog box 3300 istouched and selected, and the print button 3308 is touched, so that theselected page can be printed. It should be noted that, various settingscan be performed when printing is executed. Print setting will bedescribed later.

[0306] 9) Operation for Saving Created Pages

[0307] As described above, a page created on the electronic blackboardsoftware 506 can be saved as a file. For saving, the save button 1502 inthe extension toolbar 1500 is touched, and either “save (overwrite)” or“save as . . . ” is selected. When “save as . . . ” is selected, theelectronic blackboard software 506 provides current date/month/year andfiles name having serial numbers on the date as a default. The userinputs a file name and specifies a folder as required, and instructs tosave them, and then a created page can be saved as a file. It should benoted that, a file name can be entered through the keyboard 503 (Referto FIG. 5).

[0308] On the other hand, when “save (overwrite)” is selected, theelectronic blackboard software 506 overwrites a corresponding file andsaves it.

[0309] It should be noted that the electronic blackboard software 506divides the electronic blackboard screen 1400 into a plurality of layersfor management. They are, for instance, a background layer for managinga background of the electronic blackboard screen 1400 (which includes acaptured screen: bitmap data), a grid layer for managing grid lines(vector data), a graphics layer for managing graphics created withgraphics drawing tools (vector data), and a freehand layer for managingfreehand characters and graphics (vector data). Then, when the “save as. . . ” is selected, the electronic blackboard software 506 generates afile with those layers maintained as they are. Therefore, when the fileis read out again, the contents of each page thereof can easily beprocessed. In addition, depending on a setting, data for the pluralityof layers is integrated as one bitmap data, which can be saved as abitmap file.

[0310] 10) Print

[0311] When pages in creation are to be printed, a user touches theprint button 1408 in the toolbar 1401 (or extension toolbar 1500), andtouches “print” in the print menu (not shown). The electronic blackboardsoftware 506 displays a print dialog box 3400 shown in FIG. 34 accordingto the operation by the user. The user specifies a an area to be printedand a number of copies to be printed in a printer specification column3401, a print-area setting column 3402, and a number of copies settingcolumn 3403 in this print dialog box 3400, and when the OK button 3404is touched, printing is carried out by the preset printer (printer 106).It should be noted that, a cancel button 3405 is touched for stoppingthe printing.

[0312] Here, a background color of the electronic blackboard screen 1400can also be set to blank and printed. When the processing of printingdescribed above is to be executed, the user may perform operations fortouching a check box 3406 “print background color in white” to selectit, and touching the OK button 3401. The electronic blackboard software506 executes, when the check box 3406 “print background color in white”is selected, the processing of printing regarding the background colorof the electronic blackboard screen 1400 as blank. The provision of thesetting described above allows consumption of ink or toner for theprinter to be reduced.

[0313] A freehand line can also be printed in black. When the processingof printing described above is to be executed, the user may performoperations for touching a check box 3407 “print freehand line in black”to select it, and touching the OK button 3401. The electronic blackboardsoftware 506 executes, when the check box 3406 “print freehand line inblack” is selected, the processing of printing regarding the freehandline as black.

[0314] It should be noted that a size or a margin of recording paper forprinting can be set and a printed image can be displayed althoughdetailed description thereof is omitted herein.

[0315] 11) Other

[0316] It is possible to set a display magnification of characters orthe like displayed on the electronic blackboard screen 1400 and a methodof displaying the electronic blackboard screen 1400 in a window form bytouching the display button 1503 in the extension toolbar 1500 to open amenu.

[0317] It is also possible to set a background color of the electronicblackboard screen 1400 using a color pallet by touching the backgroundsetting button 1505 in the extension toolbar 1500 to open a menu.

[0318] Furthermore, it is also possible to set a work folder in whichfiles to be used for the electronic blackboard software 506 are storedas a unit by touching the option button 1506 in the extension toolbar1500 to open a menu.

[0319] (3) Case of Using the System as a Computer

[0320] In order to use the electronic blackboard system 100 as acomputer, like in a case of using the capture function, the screen isswitched to the computer screen 3000 as shown in FIG. 30 by touching thecomputer screen button 1401 on the electronic blackboard screen 1400 orending the electronic blackboard software 506. By switching the displayon the PDP 101 to the computer screen 3000, the electronic blackboardsystem 100 can be used as a computer. As the electronic blackboardsystem 100 has a large-sized PDP 101, it is possible to make aneffective use of the system for educational activities of operating acomputer or the like.

[0321] Furthermore, the touch input device 102 is usable as a pointingdevice like a mouse, therefore various applications can be operated onthe screen. Furthermore, by touching the mouse button 3004 shown in FIG.30, the functions assigned to the right button of the mouse can be usedwith a fingertip or a touch pen.

[0322] (4) Adjustment of a Touch Input Device

[0323] Created in the touch panel driver 507 shown in FIG. 5 is a toolfor matching a display position of a mouse cursor on the PDP 101 with atouch position obtained by touching the touch surface with the fingertipor the touch pen. Description is made hereinafter for an operation ofpositional correction for matching a display position of a mouse cursorwith a touch position.

[0324]FIG. 35 is an explanatory view showing one example of a settingscreen of the touch input device 102. When a calibrate button 3501 inthe setting screen 3500 shown in FIG. 35 is touched, a display screen ofthe PDP 101 and a correction screen for adjusting coordinate of thetouch surface 201 in the touch input device 102 appear on the PDP 101.This display screen displays, for instance, three correction points onthe upper left side, upper right side, and lower right side of the PDP101. The user may touch the three points on the PDP 101 with hisfingertip or the touch pen.

[0325] When any of the three correction points are touched by the user,the touch panel driver 507 executes positional correction processing formatching the display position of the mouse cursor with the touchposition according to the touched position, and a result of positionalcorrection is saved in a prespecified file.

[0326] However, the operation for positional correction is previouslyperformed when the electronic blackboard system 100 is actually shippedas a product, therefore, a user need not perform the procedure forpositional correction unless resolution or the like is changed.

[0327] It should be noted that, description is made for an outline ofother setting items in the setting screen 3500. The reference numeral3502 indicates a mouse button/emulation mode setting column, which isused for setting which processing is to be executed when the touchsurface 201 is touched with the fingertip or the touch pen. In the mousebutton/emulation mode setting column 3502, for instance, the followingsettings can be carried out:

[0328] {circle over (1)} Setting so as to regard a point of time whenthe touch surface 201 is touched with a fingertip or a touch pen as aclick,

[0329] {circle over (2)} Setting so as to regard a point of time when afingertip or a touch pen having touched the touch surface 201 is movedoff as a click,

[0330] {circle over (3)} Setting so as to regard a point of time when afingertip or a touch pen touching the touch surface 201 is moved alongthe surface in its touched state as drag, and

[0331] {circle over (4)} Setting so as to regard a case where the touchsurface 201 is touched twice in a row with a fingertip or a touch pen(double touch) as a double click as well as to regard a point of timewhen a fingertip or a touch pen touching the touch surface 201 is movedalong the surface in its touched state as drag (this setting is requiredwhen the electronic blackboard software 506 is used).

[0332] Furthermore, the reference numeral 3503 indicates an outputsetting check box for touch sound, and when this check box 3503 ischecked, a beep is outputted each time when the touch surface 201 istouched. The reference numeral 3504 indicates a setting button, and whenthe setting button 3504 is touched, a screen for setting a method ofconnecting the controller 103 appears. Furthermore, designated at thereference numeral 3505 in the figure is an information button fordisplaying information on the controller 103 as well as on the touchpanel driver 507, at 3506 a help button for displaying a help screen, at3507 an OK button for validating an item or items set in the settingscreen 3500, and at 3508 a cancel button for invalidating an item oritems set in the setting screen 3500 respectively.

[0333] (5) Use of AV Equipment

[0334] Connected to the PDP 101 in the electronic blackboard system 100,as shown in FIG. 1, are various types of information equipment and AVequipment such as a video player 108, a laser disk player, a DVD player,and a video camera to enable reproduction of video and audio. Inaddition, an external speaker can be connected to the PDP 101 through anamplifier, which allows a user to enjoy a powerful sound with alarge-sized display. Signals inputted from the information equipment, AVequipment, or the computer 104 to the PDP 101 can easily be switchedusing a remote control or the like which is not shown.

[0335] As described above, various types of information equipment and AVequipment can be connected to the PDP 101 and operated without thecomputer 104, so that the PDP 101 can be used as a large-sized screenmonitor, which allows operability, adaptability for handling, andconvenience of the electronic blackboard system 100 to be improvedwithout requiring other equipment such as a television to be prepared.

[0336] (6) Connection to a Network

[0337] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 36, the electronic blackboardsystem 100 can be connected to a network such as an LAN and theInternet. Therefore, applicability of the electronic blackboard system100 can be widened to the extent of: transmitting materials or the likefor a conference prepared with the electronic blackboard software 506 toother computer, reading in data prepared by other computer and using itin a conference, teleconferencing by connecting a plurality ofelectronic blackboard systems 100 to each other, and applying theelectronic blackboard system 100 in a video conference system or someother occasions. In addition, the electronic blackboard system 100 canbe connected to a network based on radio with a PHS.

[0338] 3. Effects

[0339] As described above, with the electronic blackboard systemaccording to Embodiment 1, the electronic blackboard system 100comprises the board section 601 constituting a display surface and awrite-in surface of an electronic blackboard with the PDP 101 and thetouch input device 102; and the frame unit 600 having an equipmentaccommodating section 604 in which the computer 104, video player 108,and printer 106 are accommodated in the vertical direction, therefore,movement and installation of the system can easily be performed only bymoving the frame unit 600. As the devices are arranged in the order ofthe heaviest one to a lighter one from the bottom in the direction ofgravity (vertical direction), stability of the frame unit 600 when it ismoved and installed can be insured. Furthermore, a shielding tape 300for shuttering off electromagnetic waves is provided in the surface ofthe PDP 101 side in the touch input device 102 based on the ultrasonicsurface elastic wave system, so that the PDP 101 can be used as adisplay unit, and the display unit can be made thinner (minimized) andbrightness of the display screen can be enhanced. Namely, with theelectronic blackboard system 100 according to Embodiment 1, it ispossible to enhance downsizing and integration of the electronicblackboard system 100 as a whole and also improve operability,adaptability of handling, and convenience thereof.

[0340] In addition, the electronic blackboard system 100 has an angleadjusting mechanism section 802 for adjusting an angle of the boardsection 601 with the PDP 101 and touch input device 102 accommodatedtherein, so that incoming interference light into the display surface ofthe PDP 101, especially, light from lighting equipment such as afluorescent tube provided on the ceiling can be avoided, therefore, animage on the screen can easily be seen and convenience of the electronicblackboard system 100 can be improved.

[0341] Furthermore, the PDP 101 can be used as a large-sized screenmonitor by using a plurality of connecting terminals for connectingvarious types of information equipment and AV equipment such as adigital camera, a DVD player, and a video equipment to the system,therefore, it is possible to provide an electronic blackboard system 100for enabling connection and operation of the various types ofinformation equipment and AV equipment without the computer 104connected thereto.

[0342] Next description is made in Embodiments 2 to 6 for an imagedisplay unit, an input device, and a coordinate input device eachapplicable in the electronic blackboard system 100 according toEmbodiment 1.

[0343] When the size of a display screen of a display unit such as thePDP 101 according to Embodiment 1 is about 100 inches in a width acrosscorners, for example, it will be difficult for a presenter standing atthe left side to the screen to directly point a display point (touch thetouch surface 201) at the upper right corner. Therefore, in Embodiment2, description is made for an image display unit in the electronicblackboard system which allows a presenter to perform a pointingoperation in his natural posture to an image displayed on the screentoward the audience, which is required for a case when a presenterperforms a pointing operation to an image displayed on a large screen.

[0344] The image display unit according to Embodiment 2 displays an iconfor selecting create a point-operating area with the icon such as apress button at some corner of the display screen. When a presenterselects create a point-operating area with this icon and specifies aposition where the point-operating area is created, a point-operatingarea creating section creates a rectangular point-operating area in aposition instructed by the image display unit and displays the area. Thepresenter confirms the displayed point-operating area and points to aposition corresponding to a display point on the display screen withinthe point-operating area in place of directly pointing to the displaypoint on the display screen. When the presenter points to a positioncorresponding to a display point on the screen within thepoint-operating area, a pointer moving section moves a pointer (mousecursor) on the display screen to the display point and points to thedisplay point. Thus, the presenter can easily and accurately point to adisplay point on a large screen which the presenter can not reach.

[0345]FIG. 37 is an outer view of the image display unit according toEmbodiment 2. The image display unit 3700 shown in FIG. 37 comprises animage display section 3701 (corresponding to the PDP 101 according toEmbodiment 1) and a large-sized screen display having a touch inputdevice 3702 (corresponding to the touch input device 102 according toEmbodiment 1) based on a ultrasonic elastic wave system provided on thesurface of the image display section 3701.

[0346] As shown in the block diagram in FIG. 38, a control section 3800in an image display unit 3700 comprises a CPU 3801, a ROM 3802, a RAM3803, a transmitting section 3804, a receiving section 3805, anamplifying section 3806, a wave detector 3807, an A/D converter 3808, apointer area creating section 3809, a pointer moving section 3810 and apointing section 3811. It should be noted that, the control section 3800shown in FIG. 38 corresponds to the controller 103 and computer 104according to Embodiment 1.

[0347] The CPU 3801 manages the device as a whole. The transmittingsection 3804 electrically generates a burst wave, and transmits thegenerated electric vibrations to the touch input device 3702. Atransducer 3820 on the touch input device 3702 converts the transmittedelectric vibrations to mechanical vibrations, and sends surface elasticwaves onto the touch input device 3702. These surface elastic waves havea capability of rectilinear movement and proceed substantially straightahead. Some of the surface elastic waves moving rectilinearly arereflected by 90 degrees with a first reflecting element 3821 on thetouch input device 3702, and some passe therethrough. The transmittingsurface elastic waves are affected similarly by the next firstreflecting element 3821. The surface elastic waves reflected asdescribed above proceed each with a time difference in parallel to thevertical axis of the touch input device 3702. The surface elastic waveshaving this time difference are reflected again by 90 degrees with asecond reflecting element. The surface elastic waves reflected for thesecond time pass through one route and are received by a transducer 3820located diagonally and symmetrically with respect to a central sectionof the touch input device 3702. The mechanical vibrations are convertedagain to electric vibrations by this receiving transducer 3820 and sentto the receiving section 3805. As the electric vibrations received withthis receiving section 3805 are very low, the low electric vibrationsare amplified by the amplifier 3806, rectified by the wave detector 3807to be converted to waveforms as shown in FIG. 39 and FIG. 40respectively. This waveform is digitized by the A/D converter 3808 andstored on the RAM 3803.

[0348] Herein, the waveform shown in FIG. 39 is a received waveform whena fingertip does not touch the touch input device 3702, and a receivedwaveform shown to the time axis corresponds to a position along thereflecting element 3821 from a transmitting/receiving section on thetouch input device 3702. The waveform shown in FIG. 40 is a receivedwaveform when a fingertip or the like touches the touch panel 3702.Surface elastic waves passing along the touch panel 3702 touched withthe finger tip are attenuated due to touching, therefore, a receivedsignal level corresponding to the position becomes low. This receivedwaveform in non-touching is stored in the RAM 3803, and compared to thereceived waveform in touching, so that a position where a fingertiptouches the panel can be decided. Namely, a touched position indicates aportion where the level of attenuation becomes maximum, therefore, thetouched position is found out through careful observation thereof, or azerocrossing position is decided as a touched position bydifferentiating the received waveform. This detection of a touchedposition is made in the X-axial direction and Y-axial direction, and atouched position on the touch input device 3702 can be detected.

[0349] In the image display unit 3700 configured as described above,description is made for an operation when a point A on the displayscreen of the image display section 3701 is pointed, for example, asshown in FIG. 37 with reference to the view with points displayedthereon in FIG. 41 and the flow chart in FIG. 42. In an ordinaryoperating situation, when a presenter using the image display unit 3700touches the point A on the screen 3703 with his fingertip, the situationis regarded as that the presenter points to the point A and the pointer3704 is moved to the point A. For example, when a display screen of thisimage display section 3701 measures, for instance, about 100 inches inits width across corners, it will be difficult for the presenterstanding at the left edge to the screen to directly point to the point Aat the upper right side. Therefore, the CPU 3801 displays an icon forselecting create a point-operating area with the icon such as a pressbutton at some corner of the image display section 3701. When apresenter selects create a point-operating area with this icon andspecifies a position where the point-operating area is created (S4201,S4202), the pointer area creating section 3809 reduces the image displaysection 3701 and the touch input device 3702 shown in FIG. 41 to aninstructed size, creates a rectangular point-operating area 4100, anddisplays on the image display section 3701 (step S4203).

[0350] The presenter having confirmed this point-operating area 4100points to a point B corresponding to the point A within thepoint-operating area 4100 in place of directly pointing to the point Aon the display screen 3703 (step S4204), and then the pointer movingsection 3810 moves the pointer 3704 to the point A on the display screen3703 and points to the point A (step S4205). The point A on the largescreen which the presenter does not reach can directly be pointed to asdescribed above.

[0351] Detailed description is made for an operation when anpoint-operating area 4100 is displayed on a display screen 3703 of theimage display section 3701 in its ordinary operating state shown in FIG.37 by the pointer area creating section 3809 as shown in FIG. 41 and thedisplayed point-operating area 4100 is deleted with reference to theviews for processing steps in FIG. 43 and the flow chart in FIG. 44. Asshown in FIG. 43(a), when a presenter creates a loop-shaped trail havinga geometrical feature previously defined, for instance, a trail 4300similar to a rectangle, the CPU 3801 determines that the presenter'sfingertip have touched the touch input device 3702, and continuouslyrecords touch coordinates and times in the RAM 3803 from the point oftime when the finger has touched it until the finger moves off the touchinput device 3702 (S4401 to S4403).

[0352] The pointer area creating section 3809 determines whether thepresenter has created a drawing or has pointed to a point by touchingthe touch input device 3702 according to the coordinates and timesrecorded in the RAM 3803 (S4404).

[0353] The pointer area creating section 3809 computes, when it isdetermined that the drawing has been created as shown in FIG. 43(a), thecenter of gravity in a created pattern according to the created drawing4300 (S4405), identifies a type of pattern (S4406), and creates apoint-operating area 4100 as shown in FIG. 43(b) at the position of thecenter of gravity in the created pattern as a reference if it isdetermined that the identified pattern is, for instance, a rectangle anddisplays the area on the screen 3703 (S4407).

[0354] When the presenter points, in the above state, to the point Bcorresponding to the point A on the screen 3703 by touching the touchinput device 3702, the pointer area creating section 3809 determinesthat the pointing is instructed (S4401 to S4404). When it is determinedthat the pointing has been instructed by the pointer area creatingsection 3809, the pointer moving section 3810 moves the pointer 3704 onthe screen 3703 to the point A on the screen 3703 corresponding to thepoint B to which pointing is instructed and displays the moved pointer(S4408).

[0355] In the above state, when a non-loop-shaped trail 4301 is createdin the point-operating area 4100 by the presenter as shown in FIG. 43(c)and touch coordinate and each time of the trail 4301 are stored in theRAM 3803, the pointer area creating section 3809 determines that thecreated trail 4301 is a graphic to be deleted and deletes thepoint-operating area 4100 from the screen 3703 (S4409, S4410). When thispoint-operating area 4100 is to be deleted, if the center of gravity inthe trail 4301 to the center of gravity in the point-operating area 4100is closer as compared to a preset value, the trail 4301 is determined asa graphic to be deleted, which makes it possible to suppress redundancyof the operation.

[0356] Description is made for the processing, when the point B in thepoint-operating area 4100 is instructed to be pointed to as describedabove, for a case where the coordinate of the instructed point B aretransformed to coordinate of the point A on the screen 3703. When thepoint-operating area 4100 is displayed by reducing the image displaysection 3701 and the touch input device 3702 at a specified reductionrate, as shown in FIG. 41, assuming that, for instance, a lower leftedge of the screen 3703 is the origin O1, each point of the screen 3703is expressed with X-Y coordinates, and coordinate of a point C1 diagonalto the origin O1 are (x1e, y1e), and assuming that a lower left edge ofthe point-operating area 7 corresponding to the origin O1 is the originO2 of the point-operating area 4100 and coordinate of a point C2 in thepoint-operating area 4100 corresponding to the point C1 are (x2e, y2e),coordinate (x2, y2) of each point in the point-operating area 4100correspond to coordinate (x1, y1) of each point on the screen 3703 onevs. one through a factor K decided based on a relation between thecoordinate (x1e, y1e) and the coordinate (x2e, y2e). Therefore, thepointer moving section 3810 can transform coordinate values from thecoordinate (x2b, y2b) of the point B pointed in the point-operating area4100 to coordinate (x1a, y1a) of the point A on the screen 3703, and canaccurately move the pointer 3704 to the point A.

[0357] In this case, as each point in the point-operating area 4100corresponds to each point on the screen 3703 one vs. one, thepoint-operating area 4100 is recognized by a user that it is equivalentto a reduced screen of the full screen 3703. Therefore, when thepoint-operating area 4100 is displayed, as shown in FIG. 45, a similarreduced object 4501 obtained by reducing an object 4500 such ascharacters and graphics displayed on the full screen 3703 can bedisplayed on the point-operating area 4100.

[0358] As the processing of transforming the coordinates of theinstructed point B to the coordinates of the point A on the screen 3703,the case of transforming the coordinate (x2b, y2b) of the point Bpointed on the point-operating area 4100 to the coordinate (x1a, y1a) ofthe point A on the screen 3703 has been described, but the pointer 3704on the screen 3703 can also directly be moved. Description is made forthe processing in this case with reference to FIG. 46. Relative valuesin movement of coordinate in the point-operating area 4100 correspond torelative values in movement of the pointer 3704 on the screen 3703through the factor K. Therefore, when the presenter instructs to move adisplay position F (x11, y11) of the pointer 3704 on the screen 3703 bymoving an arbitrary point D (x21, y21) on the touch input device 3702 inthe point-operating area 4100 to a point E (x22, y22) while keeping ontouching it with his fingertip, a coordinate data row instructed in thepoint-operating area 4100 is inputted with coordinate of X2-Y2. Bydifferentiating or executing differential operation of this inputtedcoordinate data row, the transform (dx2, dy2) of the inputted coordinateis operated in appropriate time intervals. The transformation of touchcoordinate along time within the point-operating area 4100 and thetransformation (dx1, dy1) of the coordinate obtained by multiplying thetouch coordinate by the factor K transform coordinate (x11, y11) of thepointer 3704 on the screen 3703 and the moved pointer can be displayed.In this case, the point D within the point-operating area 4100 may notcorrespond to a display position F of the pointer 3704 on the screen3703 one vs. one, therefore, the transformation (dx2, dy2) of thecoordinate can be correlated to transformation of coordinate of thepoint F on the screen 3703 through the factor K, and the pointer 3704 onthe screen 3703 can be operated in much the same way the mouse isoperated.

[0359] If this processing of operating the pointer 3704 on the screen3703 in much the same way the mouse is operated and the processing ofusing coordinate of a point B pointed on the point-operating area 4100are switched as required, a user can use properly either the mouseemulation or the pointing operation based on coordinate according to thesituation.

[0360] The image display unit 3700 is premised on displaying an imagegenerated by a computer. For moving an object in a displayed image ormoving an icon or a window in an operating system, an ordinary mouseoperation is carried out by moving an icon over an object, pressing abutton (pointing operation) thereon, and moving the object to a desiredposition in its pressed state. This operation is generally known as anoperation called drag. Description is made hereinafter for an operationin a case of a drag operation when a point-operating area 4100 isdisplayed on a screen 3703 of the image display unit 3700 and a pointeris moved to a position wherever it is on the full screen 3703 bypointing to any coordinate within the area.

[0361] The image display unit 3700 has no button mechanism as that in anordinary mouse because a pointer is moved based on transformation ofcoordinate due to touching the touch input device 3702. As a method ofrealizing an operation in place of the ordinary mouse operation, acursor is moved up to target coordinate within the point-operating area4100, and an object-displayed surface is tapped with a finger at thetarget position.

[0362] For instance, FIG. 47 shows changes of a state of touching thetouch input device 3702 with the fingertip 3705 on the time axis. Duringthe time T1, the fingertip 3705 is moved keeping on its touching thepoint-operating area 4100 of the touch input device 3702, and thepointer 3704 is moved to a desired object on the screen 3703. During thetime T2, the pointer 3704 is moved up to the desired object, thefingertip 3705 is moved off the touch input device 3702 once, and at thepoint of time T3, the object at the position is tapped with thefingertip. At the point of time T4 when the operation is ended andthereafter, the pointing section 3811 selects a desired object andshifts to a state in which the mouse button has been pressed down (apointing state). This determination above can be made, for instance, byswitching the state of touching the point-operating area 4100 of thetouch input device 3702 to the non-touching state and vice versa withinan appropriate time interval. Furthermore, the pointing section 3811changes the display color of the point-operating area 4100 from a firstcolor at a state of not pointing to the area to a second color.According to this change in display color, a user can accuratelyrecognize that the state has been changed to a pointing state even whenthere is no mechanical button thereon. In this state, the fingertip 3704is touched again the point-operating area 4100, the pointed object ismoved, and the fingertip is moved off the object at the point of timeT5, so that the movement of the object is completed and the state ofpointing to the object is released.

[0363] Although description has been made for the case where thepoint-operating area 7 is tapped once at the point of time T3 when thestate is shifted to the pointing state in the above example, one of acertain number of states may be selectively specified depending on anumber of times of tapping in a case of a plurality of times of tapping.Furthermore, during a state shifting process for changing states bytapping the point-operating area 4100, a user can recognize that thecurrent state is in the process of shifting to the other state byswitching the display color in the point-operating area 4100 to a thirdcolor, therefore, malfunction can be reduced.

[0364] As described above, with the image display unit in the electronicblackboard system according to Embodiment 2, a point-operating area 4100used for pointing to a display point on a displayed image appears on adesired position according to an instruction by a user, and the userpoints to a position corresponding to the display point within thepoint-operating area 4100 to move the pointer 3704 on the display screen3703 to the display point and points thereto with the pointer, and forthis reason a presenter can easily and accurately point to a displaypoint on a large screen which the presenter can not reach.

[0365] Furthermore, a position and a size of the point-operating area4100 are instructed by touching the touch input device 3702 with thefingertip or the like, so that the point-operating area 4100 can bedisplayed on an arbitrary position with a simple operation, and pointingto a display point on the display screen 3703 can easily be performed.

[0366] In addition, each coordinate within the point-operating area 4100are displayed in correlation to coordinate within all area on the imagedisplay surface one for one, so that a position to be pointed can easilybe specified on the point-operating area 4100.

[0367] Furthermore, the pointer 3704 is moved by correlating transformof the coordinate to which is pointed with the pointer within thepoint-operating area 4100 to movement of coordinate of the pointer on animage display surface, so that the pointer 3704 on the screen 3703 canbe operated in much the same way the mouse is operated.

[0368] In addition, a user selectably uses a pointing operation based onabsolute coordinate and a pointing operation based on transform ofcoordinate as required, so that the user can use properly either themouse emulation or the pointing operation based on absolute coordinateaccording to the situation.

[0369] Furthermore, layout information of display contents on a fulldisplay surface is displayed on the point-operating area 4100, so that auser can check the display contents on the point-operating area 4100,therefore, a pointing operation on a large-sized screen can easily beperformed.

[0370] Furthermore, by tapping some point within the point-operatingarea 4100 once or a plurality of times, a plurality of pointing statescan be obtained according to a number of times of tapping, so that apointing operation on a large-sized screen can easily be performed. Whenthis plurality of pointing states can be obtained, malfunction and amiss operation of the system on pointing can be reduced by changingdisplay colors on the point-operating area 4100 according to a pointingstate.

[0371] If a security function is provided in the electronic blackboardsystem according to Embodiment 1 and a personal identification number isinputted through a touch input device, a PID number to be inputted maybe seen by some other persons. Therefore, in Embodiment 3, descriptionis made for an input device which can prevent a PID number from beingseen by other persons when a PID number is inputted in the electronicblackboard system. Specifically, the input device according toEmbodiment 3 displays a ten-key on a position over which a personentering the number casts his shadow when viewed from other persons, sothat the ten-key used for entering a PID number is hidden by the personentering it, which allows the ten-key not to be seen from other persons.

[0372]FIG. 48 is a view showing a first example of configuration of theinput device according to Embodiment 3. This input device comprises acoordinate inputting section (corresponding to the touch input device102 in Embodiment 1) for detecting a position of a substance havingtouched an input surface on the touch surface, and an image displaysection (corresponding to the PDP 101 in Embodiment 1) for displaying animage on a screen commonly used as the input surface, and furthercomprises an image pickup section 4800 for picking up an image of aperson who enters a PID number, a position detecting section 4801 fordetecting a position of the person who enters a PID number according tothe image picked up by the image pickup section 4800, and a ten-keydisplay position specifying section 4802 for displaying the ten-keyaccording to the position obtained by the position detecting section4801 of the image display section.

[0373]FIG. 49 is a view showing an electronic blackboard with a displayas a concrete example of the first configuration of the input device. Inthe first example of configuration, the image pickup section (camera)4800 for picking up an image of the person who enters a PID numberstanding in front of the section is provided in the electronicblackboard with a display 4900. The image picked up by the camera 4800is sent to the position detecting section 4801 built in the electronicblackboard with a display. The position detecting section 4801 detects aposition of the person from the image of the person picked up by thecamera 4800.

[0374] It should be noted that, as a method of detecting a position of aperson from an image thereof, various types of methods can be used. Forexample, at first a local frequency is computed on an inputted fullimage. Then, the frequency element obtained as described above aresubjected to threshold processing, and the full image is separated intoa portion (area 5000) with a high frequency included and a portion (area5001) with less high frequency included. It should be noted that, thisprocessing is employed based on the fact that the image of a personfocused on has comparatively more of high frequency elements but abackground which is not focused on has less high frequency elements,therefore, a portion (area 5000) with high frequencies included in thefull image is predicted as a portion of a person. Then, the center ofgravity (GX, GY) in the area 5000 where a person is supposed to bephotographed is obtained. At which position on the image the person ispresent can be computed through the processing above.

[0375] When the position of the person is detected as described aboveas, for instance, (GX, GY), on which position of the input surface theten-key should be displayed is computed from this position (GX, GY) inthe ten-key display position specifying section 4802. It should be notedthat, as a method of deciding a position of the ten-key to be displayedto the position (GX, GY), various types of method can be used. Forinstance, as it is conceivable that the same position as that where theperson is standing is probably the hardest-to-view position from otherpersons, so that the ten-key 4901 is displayed on that position.Furthermore, positions where not only the person who enters a PID numberbut also viewers are present are presumed from the images and theten-key 4901 may be displayed on the position obtained through suchconsideration.

[0376] As one example, description is made for a method of deciding adisplayed position with reference to FIG. 60. FIG. 60 is a view showingthe electronic blackboard 4900 when viewed from the upper side thereof,and for persons 6001 and 6002 in the side of the electronic blackboard4900, a position over which a person who enters a PID number 6000 castshis shadow is an area 6003 indicated by a heavy line, therefore, theten-key 4901 is displayed on a position within this area 6003. Throughthe processing described above, the ten-key 4901 is displayed on thisdisplayed position as shown in FIG. 49. At this point of time, theten-key 4901 for entry of a PID number is hidden behind the person whoenters a PID number so that nobody can see the ten-key.

[0377]FIG. 51 is a view showing the second example of configuration ofthe input device according to Embodiment 3. This input device comprisesa coordinate inputting section (corresponding to the touch input device102 in Embodiment 1) for detecting a position of an object havingtouched an input surface on the input surface and an image displaysection (corresponding to the PDP 101 in Embodiment 1) for displaying animage on a surface commonly used as the input surface, and furthercomprises a measuring section 5100 for measuring a three-dimensionalposition of a person who enters a PID number, and a ten-key displayposition specifying section 5101 for displaying a ten-key on a positionof a corresponding image display section according to thethree-dimensional position obtained by the measuring section 5100.

[0378]FIG. 52 is a view showing an electronic blackboard with a displayas an concrete example of the second configuration according toEmbodiment 3 of the input device. In the example in FIG. 52, themeasuring section (three-dimensional position measuring device) 5100 formeasuring a three-dimensional position of a person who enters a PIDnumber by standing in front of the electronic blackboard 4900 with adisplay is provided thereon. It should be noted that, as thethree-dimensional position measuring device 5100, various types ofdevice can be used. For example, a device using a principle ofstereoscopic vision with a twin-lens camera and a device using anoptical cutting method of projecting a reference pattern and readingdisplacement of the pattern from its image or the like can be used.

[0379] In the configuration described above, a three-dimensionalposition of a person (RX, RE, RZ) is detected with the three-dimensionalposition measuring device 5100, and on which position of the inputsurface the ten-key should be displayed is computed by the ten-keydisplay position specifying section 5101. It should be noted that, as amethod of deciding a position of a ten-key to be displayed to theposition (RX, RY, RZ), various types of methods can be used. Forexample, the method described in the first example of configuration canbe used. When the position of the ten-key to be displayed to theposition (RX, RY, RZ) is decided as described above, the ten-key 4901 isdisplayed on this display position as shown in FIG. 52. At this point oftime, the ten-key 4901 for entry of a PID number is hidden behind theperson who enters a PID number 6000 so as not to be seen from otherpersons because of the same principle having been described withreference to FIG. 60.

[0380]FIG. 53 is a view showing a third example of configuration of theinput device according to Embodiment 3. This input device comprises acoordinate inputting section (corresponding to the touch input device102 in Embodiment 1) for detecting a position of an object havingtouched an input surface on the input surface and an image displaysection (corresponding to the PDP 101 in Embodiment 1) for displaying animage on a surface commonly used as the input surface, and furthercomprises a position detecting section 5300 for detecting a position ofa person who enters a PID number by getting on the section, and aten-key display position specifying section 5301 for displaying aten-key on a position of a corresponding image display section accordingto the position obtained by the position detecting section 5300.

[0381]FIG. 54 is a view showing an electronic blackboard with a displayas a concrete example of the third configuration of the input device. Inthe example in FIG. 54, the sheet type of position detecting section(position detecting device) 5300 for detecting a position of a person toenter a PID number standing in front of the electronic blackboard 4900with a display is provided. As a position detecting method by thisposition detecting device 5300, various types of methods can be used.For example, a method for detecting a position with a pressure appliedon a sheet surface as a pressure-sensitive sheet can be use.

[0382] In the configuration described above, a position of a person (SX,SY) is detected with the position detecting section 5300, and on whichposition of the input surface the ten-key should be displayed iscomputed by the ten-key display position specifying section 5301. Itshould be noted that, as a method of deciding a position of a ten-key tobe displayed to the position (SX, SY), various types of methods can beused. For example, the method described in the first configuration canbe used. When the position of the ten-key to be displayed to theposition (SX, SY) is decided as described above, the ten-key 4901 isdisplayed on this display position as shown in FIG. 54. At this point oftime, the ten-key 4901 for entry of a PID number is hidden behind theperson who enters a PID number 6000 so as not to be seen from otherpersons because of the same principle having been described withreference to FIG. 60.

[0383]FIG. 55 is a view showing a fourth example of configuration of theinput device according to Embodiment 3. This input device comprises acoordinate inputting section (corresponding to the touch input device102 in Embodiment 1) for detecting a position of a substance havingtouched an input surface on the input surface and an image displaysection (corresponding to the PDP 101 in Embodiment 1) for image on asurface commonly used as the input surface, and further comprises aplurality of range finding sections 5500 located in an array, a positiondetecting section 5501 for detecting a position of a person who enters aPID number according to values by the range finding sections 5500, and aten-key display position specifying section 5502 for displaying aten-key on a position of a corresponding image display section accordingto the position obtained by the position detecting section 5501.

[0384]FIG. 56 is a view showing an electronic blackboard with a displayas an concrete example of the fourth configuration of the input device.In the example in FIG. 56, the range finding sections (an array with aplurality of range finding sensors) 5500 for measuring a range of anobject extending in a first-dimensional direction (a vertical directionto the input surface) by using ultrasonic waves are arranged in an arrayon the electronic blackboard 4900 with a display. With this feature,positional information (range information) of a person standing in frontof the electronic blackboard 4900 can be obtained. The range informationobtained by the plurality of range finding sensors 5500 as describedabove is given to the position detecting section 5501, and the positiondetecting section 5501 identifies a position of a person who enters aPID number according to the range information obtained by the pluralityof range finding sensors 5500. As a method of identifying a position ofa person from the range information obtained by the plurality of rangefinding sensors 5500, various types of methods can be used. For example,a position between range finding sensors showing the shortest range canbe decided as a position of the person to enter a PID number.

[0385] When the position (DX) of the person is obtained as describedabove, on which position of the input surface from this position (DX)the ten-key should be displayed is computed by the ten-key displayposition specifying section 5502. As a method of deciding a position ofa ten-key to be displayed to the position (DX), various types of methodscan be used. For example, the method described in the firstconfiguration can be used. When the position of the ten-key to bedisplayed to the position (DX) is decided as described above, theten-key 4901 is displayed on this display position as shown in FIG. 56.At this point of time, the ten-key 4901 for entry of a PID number ishidden behind the person who enters a PID number 6000 so as not to beseen from other persons because of the same principle described withreference to FIG. 60.

[0386]FIG. 57 is a view showing a fifth example of configuration of theinput device according to Embodiment 3. This input device comprises acoordinate inputting section (corresponding to the touch input device102 in Embodiment 1) for detecting a position of an object havingtouched an input surface on the input surface and an image displaysection (corresponding to the PDP 101 in Embodiment 1) for displaying animage on a surface commonly used as the input surface, and furthercomprises a ten-key position specifying section 5700 for specifying aposition of a ten-key to be displayed, and a ten-key display positionspecifying section 5701 for displaying a ten-key on a position specifiedby the ten-key position specifying section 5700 of the image displaysection.

[0387]FIG. 58 is a view showing an electronic blackboard with a displayas a concrete example of the fifth configuration of the input device. Inthe example in FIG. 58, the ten-key position specifying section 5700 forenabling entry of a position where a ten-key is displayed is provided onthe electronic blackboard 4900 with a display. A person who enters a PIDnumber specifies on which part of an input surface the ten-key should bedisplayed by using this ten-key position specifying section 5700. As amethod of specifying a position of a ten-key using the ten-key positionspecifying section 5700, various types of methods can be used. Forexample, methods of manually inputting coordinate of a position, or ofdisplaying a thumbnail image to input a desired position by touching itcan be employed.

[0388] Also in this fifth example of configuration, an input window (aten-key display specifying window) for specifying a position of aten-key to be displayed with gesture or the like may be displayed on aninput surface without using the ten-key position specifying section5700.

[0389]FIG. 59 is a view showing configuration of an input device whichcan display an input window (a ten-key display specifying window) forspecifying a ten-key display position on an input surface, and the inputdevice shown in FIG. 59 comprises a coordinate inputting section(corresponding to the touch input device 102 in Embodiment 1) fordetecting a position of an object having touched an input surface on theinput surface and an image display section (corresponding to the PDP 101in Embodiment 1) for displaying an image on a surface commonly used asthe input surface, and further comprises a ten-key display specifyingwindow display section 5900 for displaying a ten-key display specifyingwindow for specifying a ten-key display position on the image displaysection, and a ten-key display position specifying section 5701 fordisplaying a ten-key on a position having been inputted in the ten-keydisplay specifying window displayed on the image display section by theten-key display specifying window display section 5900.

[0390]FIG. 61 is a view showing an example of hardware configuration ofthe input device according to FIG. 48, FIG. 51, FIG. 53, FIG. 55, FIG.57 and FIG. 59. With reference to FIG. 61, this input device (electronicblackboard) is realized with, for instance, a microcomputer or a DSP(digital signal processor) and software, and comprises at least a CPU6100 for controlling the input device as a whole, a ROM 6101 withcontrol programs for the CPU 6100 or the like stored therein, a RAM 6102used as a work area for the CPU 6100, a coordinate input section 6103and an image display section 6104.

[0391] Herein the CPU 6100 comprises functions of the position detectingsection 4801 and ten-key display position specifying section 4802 inFIG. 48, the measuring section 5100 and ten-key display positionspecifying section 5101 in FIG. 51, the position detecting section 5300and ten-key display position specifying section 5301 in FIG. 53, theposition detecting section 5501 and ten-key display position specifyingsection 5502 in FIG. 55, the ten-key position specifying section 5700and ten-key display position specifying section 5701 in FIG. 57, or theten-key display specifying window display section 5900 and ten-keydisplay position specifying section 5701 in FIG. 59.

[0392] It should be noted that, the functions described above in the CPU6100 can be provided in a form of, for example, a software package (morespecifically, information recording medium such as a CD-ROM), therefore,when an information recording medium 6105 is set, a medium driving unit6106 for driving the medium is provided in the example of FIG. 61.

[0393] In other words, the input device according to Embodiment 3 canoperate even in configuration such that the input device makes aprocessor system incorporated in the electronic blackboard read aprogram recorded on an information recording medium such as a CD-ROM andmakes a microprocessor execute ten-key display processing or the like.In this case, the program (namely, a program used in the hardwaresystem) for executing the processing described in Embodiment 3 can beprovided in a state in which the program is recorded in a medium. Aninformation recording medium with a program recorded therein is notlimited to a CD-ROM, and any medium such as a ROM, a RAM, a flexibledisk, and a memory card may be used. The program recorded in a medium isinstalled in a storage device incorporated in hardware, for example, ina RAM 6102, with which this program is executed and the processingfunction described above can be realized.

[0394] The program for realizing the processing described in Embodiment3 may be provided not only in a medium form but also throughcommunications (e.g., with a server).

[0395] It should be noted that the description for each configurationabove has assumed the case shown in FIG. 60 as a method of deciding adisplay position, but if only one viewer is present there, a ten-key forinputting a PID number may be displayed on an extension between theviewer and a person to enter a PID number, and if there are a pluralityof viewers, various types of deciding method can be used according toeach situation taking into consideration positions of the viewer and theperson who enters a PID number, such that a ten-key for a PID number isdisplayed in a blind area from the viewers.

[0396] As described above, with the input device according to Embodiment3, a person who enters a PID number is photographed, a position of theperson is detected according to the photographed image, and a ten-key isdisplayed according to the detected position, so that the ten-key can bedisplayed at the position hidden by the person, therefore, a possibilitythat a PID number being inputted is seen by other persons can bereduced.

[0397] Also a three-dimensional position of the person who enters a PIDnumber is measured, and a ten-key is displayed according to the measuredthree-dimensional position, so that a display position of the ten-keycan more accurately be decided.

[0398] When the person gets on a sheet type of position detectingdevice, the position of the person is detected, and a ten-key isdisplayed according to the detected position, so that, for example, aposition where the person stands on the floor in front of an inputsurface can be detected, therefore, a display position of the ten-keycan more accurately be decided.

[0399] Furthermore, distance up to the object is measured, a position ofthe person is detected according to the measured value, and a ten-key isdisplayed according to the detected position, so that a display positionof the ten-key can more accurately be decided.

[0400] Furthermore, a display position of a ten-key is specified, andthe ten-key is displayed on the specified position, so that, forexample, a display position of the ten-key can manually be inputted,therefore, a display position of the ten-key can be decided according tosituation.

[0401] Furthermore, a ten-key display specifying window for specifying adisplay position of a ten-key is displayed, and the ten-key is displayedon a position inputted in the ten-key display specifying window, so thata manual input device for specifying a display position of the ten-keycan be displayed as software, therefore, a low-cost input device can beprovided.

[0402] In Embodiment 4, description is made for a coordinate inputdevice (touch input device) based on a ultrasonic elastic wave systemapplicable to the electronic blackboard system according toEmbodiment 1. The coordinate input device according to Embodiment 4 hasbeen invented for solving a point that if an area of a surface to bewritten in (touch surface) is made larger, a cycle when a surfaceelastic wave is propagated is longer, so that the cycle can not followan operation of write-in with a fingertip or a touch pen, and a pointthat a write-in surface can not be made larger than a certain areabecause the surface elastic waves are attenuated due to increase of anumber of its separated times by reflection arrays proportionally to thedistance.

[0403]FIG. 62 to FIG. 64 are views each showing a first example ofconfiguration of the coordinate input device according to Embodiment 4.FIG. 62 and FIG. 63 show one example of an electronic blackboard systemwith the coordinate input device according to Embodiment 4 appliedtherein, and the electronic blackboard system is constructed in a stylewith the coordinate input device mounted on an image display unit, andcomprises an operating section 6200 used for inputting various types offormat to be set by a user, a display section 6201 for displaying animage thereon, an image memory (RAM) 6202 for storing thereon image datato be displayed on the display section 6201, an input section 6203 fordrawing an image (written-in drawing) to be displayed on the displaysection 6201 by a user, a ROM 6204 with a basic program required for anoperation as an electronic blackboard system as well as with a controlprogram for the coordinate input device according to Embodiment 4 storedtherein and a control unit (CPU) 6205 for providing centralized controlsover the sections according to the programs in the ROM 6204.

[0404] The operating section 6200 has a keyboard and a mouse not shownin the figure operated by a user and an image reading section capable ofreading image data by mounting a magnetic disk or the like thereon, andcan specify and process an image to be displayed on the display section6201 through the keyboard or the like. It should be noted that, imagedata may be read out from a document as an image to be displayed on thedisplay section 6201 by connecting a scanner to the operating section.

[0405] The display section 6201 has a large screen PDP for displayingimage data in the image memory 6202 sent from the control unit 6205, andalso has an input section 6203 mounted thereon for detecting coordinatesof a drawing (a written-in point) written on a transparent glass board(a write-in member) 6300 having substantially the same form as a displayscreen on the PDP and transmitting the coordinates to the controlsection 6205.

[0406] The image memory 6203 is programmed to temporarily store imagedata to be displayed on the display section 6201 read from a magneticdisk or the like by operating the operating section 6200, and alsotemporarily store image data for a drawing written by the input section6203 as a different image from the original image as well as image dataobtained by synthesizing the image to the original image.

[0407] The input section 6203 is superimposed on the PDP screen of thedisplay section 6201 as shown in FIG. 64, transmitting and receivingtransducers 6400 to 6405 are mounted on the transparent glass board 6300for passing an image to be displayed therethrough, and reflection arrays6406 to 6411 for reflecting the surface elastic waves propagating on thesurface of the transparent glass board 6300 are formed on four edgesthereof.

[0408] As for the transducers 6400, 6401 and reflection arrays 6406,6407 of this input section 6203, the transducers 6400 and 6401 aremounted on both sides of the lower edge of the transparent glass board6300, while the reflection arrays 6406 and 6407 are formed in the twoedges of both sides as the Y-axial direction of the transparent glassboard 6300. The reflection arrays 6406 and 6407 are arranged in parallelto each other each at an angle of 45 degrees so that the reflectionsections each for reflecting surface elastic waves portion by portionthrough a transmission surface (a write-in surface) 6412 for passing thewaves through the PDP screen face toward each other in the direction tothe transducers 6400 and 6401. Therefore, in the input section 6203, thereflection array 6406 reflects the surface elastic waves transmitted bythe transmitting transducer 6400 and propagating on the surface of thetransparent glass board 6412, portion by portion at the right angletoward the transmission surface 6412 on each of the reflecting sectionsof the array, and the reflection array 6407 also reflects the surfaceelastic waves having propagated on the transmission surface 6412 at theright angle again, which allows the receiving transducer 6401 to receivethe surface elastic waves transmitted by the transmitting transducer6400.

[0409] At this point of time, the surface elastic waves transmitted fromthe transmitting transducer 6400 are successively reflected in theX-axial direction by each reflecting section of the reflection array6406 arranged in parallel to the Y-axial direction, and propagate on thetransmission surface 6412 of the transparent glass board 6300, and arereflected again by the reflection array 6407 opposite to the array 6406,so that the surface elastic waves propagating in the X-axial directionwithin the transmission surface 6412 of the transparent glass board 6300are swept to the Y-axial direction, which allows the receivingtransducer 6401 to receive the surface elastic waves. Accordingly, theinput section 6203 can sweep the waves within the transmission surface6412 of the transparent glass board 6300 to the Y-axial direction byregarding a period when surface elastic waves transmitted from thetransmitting transducer 6400 are received by the receiving transducer6401 as one cycle and repeating transmission and reception of surfaceelastic waves.

[0410] On the other hand, as configuration for sweeping in the X-axialdirection in this input section 6203, the transmitting transducers 6402,6404 and receiving transducers 6403, 6405 are mounted on the upper sideand the lower side of each edge in both sides of the transparent glassboard 6300 so that each of the pairs is provided opposite to each other,and the reflection arrays 6408 to 6411 are provided on two edges of theupper side and the lower side as the X-axial direction of thetransparent glass board 6300 so that each of the pairs is symmetric withrespect to a center line in the vertical direction of the transmissionsurface. The reflection arrays 6408, 6409 and reflection arrays 6410,6411 are arranged in parallel to each other each at an angle of 45degrees so that the reflection sections of the reflection arrays facetoward each other in the direction to the transducers 6402 to 6405through the transmission surface 6412 of the transparent glass board6300 similarly to the reflection arrays 6406 and 6407.

[0411] Therefore, as for sweeping in the X-axial direction in this inputsection 6203 with a center line in the vertical direction (a dashed linein FIG. 64) dividing the transmission surface 6412 of the transparentglass board 6300 into two sections in both sides as a border, surfaceelastic waves propagating in the Y-axial direction within thetransmission surface 6412 of the transparent glass board 6300 can beswept toward the center of the surface from both sides in the X-axialdirection by successively reflecting surface elastic waves transmittedfrom the transmitting transducers 6402 and 6404 to the Y-axial directionwith the reflecting sections of the reflection arrays 6408 and 6410arranged in parallel to the X-axial direction, propagating the waveswithin the transmission surface 6412 of the transparent glass board6300, reflecting again the surface elastic waves with the reflectionarrays 6409 and 6411, and receiving the reflected waves with thereceiving transducers 6403 and 6405. Accordingly, as for sweeping thewaves in the X-axial direction within the transmission surface 6412 ofthe transparent glass board 6300, the input section 6203 can sweep thewaves in the X-axial direction within the transmission surface 6412 ofthe transparent glass board 6300 by regarding a period when surfaceelastic waves transmitted from the transmitting transducers 6402 and6404 are received by the receiving transducers 6403 and 6405 as onecycle and repeating transmission and reception of surface elastic waves.

[0412] In the input section 6203, when some spot within the transmissionsurface 6412 of the transparent glass board 6300 is pressed with a tipsuch as a rubber of an input pen 6413, propagation of a portion of thesurface elastic waves repeatedly transmitted from the transmittingtransducers 6400, 6402 and 6404 and sweeping within the transmissionsurface 6412 is shut down or attenuated, and received signals by thereceiving transducers 6401, 6403 and 6405 each having received thesurface elastic waves can be correlated to each other on the time axis,so that the control section 6205 having received the received signalsfrom the receiving transducers 6401, 6403 and 6405 can detect theposition at the time of starting sweeping (a reference point) when thelevel of received signals gets lower than that of other signals as aposition pressed with the input pen 6413, and can identify thecoordinate of a written-in point with the input pen 6413 according tothe detected position in the X-axis and Y-axis.

[0413] It should be noted that the reflection arrays 6406 to 6411 havereflecting sections larger than their actual size shown in the figure sothat the sections can visually be recognized, but in an actual case, oneof the sections is one pixel for detecting a written-in point,therefore, the reflecting sections can be formed so as to correlate topixel density of a written-in drawing detectable by the input section6203.

[0414] As described above, in the first example of configuration of thecoordinate detecting device, as configuration for sweeping in theX-axial direction within the transmission surface 6412 by the inputsection 6203, the transmitting transducers 6402, 6404 and receivingtransducers 6403, 6405 are provided opposite to each other respectivelyto be mounted on the edges of the transparent glass board 6300, and thereflection arrays 6408, 6409 and reflection arrays 6410, 6411 reflectthe surface elastic waves transmitted from the transmitting transducers6402, 6404 so as to propagate within the transmission surface 6412 tomake the receiving transducers 6403 and 6405 receive the waves.Accordingly, sweeping in the X-axial direction within the transmissionsurface 6412 can be executed by dividing the transmission surface 6412into two sections to propagate surface elastic waves along a short path,therefore, surface elastic waves can be detected at a received levelhigher than that in the configuration in which the transmission surface6412 is swept with a pair of transducers to detect a written-in point.As a result, even if the transmission surface 6412 of the transparentglass board 6300 is made such that it has a large area, coordinate of awritten-in point can be identified with high precision.

[0415] Also the receiving transducers 6403 and 6405 do not directlyreceive surface elastic waves transmitted from the transmittingtransducers 6402 and 6404 provided opposite to each other andpropagated, so that a S/N ratio is never reduced.

[0416]FIG. 65 is a view showing the second example of configuration ofthe coordinate input device according to Embodiment 4. It should benoted that the second example of configuration thereof has an inputsection 6203 in the electronic blackboard system mounted on the displaysection 6201 similarly to the first example of the configuration, sothat the same reference numerals are assigned to the sectionscorresponding to those in FIG. 62 and FIG. 63, and simple description ismade herein.

[0417] The input section 6203 shown in FIG. 62 and FIG. 63 issuperimposed on the PDP screen of the display section 6201 as shown inFIG. 65, transmitting and receiving transducers 6402 to 6405 and 6500 to6503 are mounted on the transparent glass board 6300 for passing animage to be displayed therethrough, and reflection arrays 6408 to 6411and 6504 to 6507 for reflecting the surface elastic waves propagating onthe surface of the transparent glass board 6300 are formed on four edgesthereof.

[0418] As configuration for sweeping in the Y-axial direction in thisinput section 6203, transmitting transducers 6500, 6501 and receivingtransducers 6502, 6503 in place of the transducers 6400, 6401 andreflection arrays 6406, 6407 in the first configuration are mounted onthe upper side and the lower side of each edge in both sides of thetransparent glass board 6300 so that each of the pairs is providedopposite to each other, and reflection arrays 6504 to 6507 are providedon two edges of both sides as the Y-axial direction of the transparentglass board 6300 so that each of the pairs is symmetric with respect toa center line in the horizontal direction of the transmission surface,and the reflection arrays 6504, 6505 and reflection arrays 6506, 6507are arranged in parallel to each other each at an angle of 45 degrees sothat the reflection sections of the reflection arrays face toward eachother in the direction to the transducers 6500 to 6503 through thetransmission surface 6412 of the transparent glass board 6300 similarlyto the reflection arrays 6408 to 6411.

[0419] Therefore, for sweeping in the Y-axial direction similarly to thesweeping in the Y-axial direction, with a horizontal center line (adashed line in FIG. 65) dividing the transmission surface 6412 of thetransparent glass board 6300 into two sections in the upper and lowersides as a border, this input section 6203 can sweep surface elasticwaves propagating in the X-axial direction within the transmissionsurface 6412 of the transparent glass board 6300 toward the center ofthe surface from the upper side and lower side in the Y-axial directionby successively reflecting surface elastic waves transmitted from thetransmitting transducers 6500 and 6501 to the X-axial direction with thereflecting sections of the reflection arrays 6504 and 6506 arranged inparallel to the Y-axial direction, propagating the waves within thetransmission surface 6412 of the transparent glass board 6300,reflecting again the surface elastic waves with the reflection arrays6505 and 6507, and receiving the reflected waves with the receivingtransducers 6501 and 6502.

[0420] Accordingly, the input section 6203 can sweep the waves in theX-axial direction as well as in the Y-axial direction within thetransmission surface 6412 of the transparent glass board 6300, togetherwith the sweeping in the X-axial direction as well as Y-axial directionwithin the transmission surface 6412 of the transparent glass board6300, by regarding a period when surface elastic waves transmitted fromthe transmitting transducers 6402, 6404, 6500 and 6501 are received bythe receiving transducers 6403, 6405, 6502 and 6503 as one cycle of eachsweeping in the X-axial direction and Y-axial direction respectively,and repeating transmission and reception of surface elastic waves.

[0421] As described above, in the second configuration according toEmbodiment 4, in addition to the effects in the first configuration, thesweeping in the Y-axial direction within the transmission surface 6412by the input section 6203 can also be executed based on propagation ofsurface elastic waves along a short path by dividing the transmissionsurface 6412 into two sections also in the upper and lower sides.Accordingly, sweeping in the X-axial direction and Y-axial direction canbe executed by dividing the transmission surface 6412 into four sectionsvertically and horizontally as a whole. As a result, even if thetransmission surface 6412 of the transparent glass board 6300 is madesuch that it has a larger area than that in the first configuration,coordinate of a written-in point can be identified with high precision.

[0422]FIG. 66 is a view showing the third example of configuration ofthe coordinate input device according to Embodiment 4. It should benoted that the third example of configuration thereof has an inputsection 6203 in the electronic blackboard system mounted on the displaysection 6201 similarly to the second example of the configuration, sothat the same reference numerals are assigned to the sectionscorresponding to those in FIG. 62 and FIG. 63, and simple description ismade herein.

[0423] The input section 6203 shown in FIG. 62 and FIG. 63 issuperimposed on the PDP screen of the display section 6201 as shown inFIG. 66, the transmitting and receiving transducers 6402 to 6405 and6500 to 6503 are mounted on the transparent glass board 6300 for passingan image to be displayed therethrough, and the reflection arrays 6408 to6411 and 6504 to 6507 for reflecting surface elastic waves propagatingon the surface of the transparent glass board 6300 are formed on fouredges thereof.

[0424] Mounted on the transparent glass board 6300 of this input section6203 are locking members for locking propagation of surface elasticwaves, for example, rubber plates 6641 having the same material as thatof the tip of the input pen 6413 so as to extend in parallel to each ofouter edge sides than the reflection arrays 6408 to 6411 and 6504 to6507, so that surface elastic waves transmitted from the transmittingtransducers 6402, 6404, 6500 and 6501 are prevented from being reflectedto the direction of each edge of the transparent glass board 6300 witheach reflecting section of the reflection arrays 6410, 6408, 6506 and6504 provided apart from each other, reflected again with each of theedge surfaces thereof, propagating within the transmission surface 6412to be reflected with each of reflecting sections of the reflectionarrays 6411, 6409, 6507 and 6505, and being received by the receivingtransducers 6403, 6405, 6502 and 6503.

[0425] In the third configuration described above, in addition to theeffects in the configuration, by forming the reflecting sections of thereflection arrays 6410, 6408, 6506 and 6504 symmetrically with respectto vertical and horizontal center lines respectively, surface elasticwaves reflected to each direction of edge side of the transparent glassboard 6300 each during its propagation as indicated by the thick hollowarrow in FIG. 66 are restricted from its propagation more than that bythe rubber plates 6641. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent that thereceiving transducers 6405, 6403, 6508 and 6502 receive the surfaceelastic waves transmitted from the transmitting transducers 6402, 6404,6500 and 6501, therefore, a S/N ratio can be enhanced.

[0426]FIG. 67 is a view showing the fourth example of configuration ofthe coordinate input device according to Embodiment 4. It should benoted that the fourth example of configuration thereof has an inputsection 6203 in the electronic blackboard system mounted on the displaysection 6201 similarly to the second example of the configuration, sothat the same reference numerals are assigned to the sectionscorresponding to those in FIG. 62 and FIG. 63, and simple description ismade herein.

[0427] The input section 6203 shown in FIG. 62 and FIG. 63 issuperimposed on the PDP screen of the display section 6201 as shown inFIG. 67, the transmitting and receiving transducers 6402 to 6405 and6500 to 6503 are mounted on the transparent glass board 6300 for passingan image to be displayed therethrough, and the reflection arrays 6408 to6411 and 6504 to 6507 for reflecting the surface elastic wavespropagating on the surface of the transparent glass board 6300 areformed on four edges thereof.

[0428] Mounted on the transparent glass board 6300 of this input section6203 are locking members for locking propagation of the surface elasticwaves, for example, rubber pieces 6751 having the same material as thatof the tip of the input pen 6413 between at least the reflection arrays6408 and 6410, and between the reflection arrays 6504 and 6506, so thatthe surface elastic waves transmitted from the transmitting transducers6402, 6404, 6500 and 6501 are prevented from being reflected to thedirection of each edge side of the transparent glass board 6300 witheach reflecting section of the reflection arrays 6410, 6408, 6506 and6504 provided apart from each other.

[0429] In the fourth configuration according to Embodiment 4 asdescribed above, the same effects as that in the third configuration canbe obtained with the rubber piece 6751 smaller than the rubber plate6641.

[0430] As described above, with the coordinate input device according toEmbodiment 4, surface elastic waves are propagated within a write-insurface of a write-in member symmetrically from both sides in theX-axial direction and/or in the Y-axial direction thereof, so that thewrite-in surface can be divided into two or four sections and thesurface elastic waves are swept, therefore, a path for propagation ofthe surface elastic waves can be made shorter. Accordingly, a written-inpoint on the write-in surface having been made larger is detected withone cycle for propagating surface elastic waves kept to be the same orshorter and with a reception level of the surface elastic waves kept tobe the same or higher, so that the coordinate of the point can beidentified with high precision, and in addition, the coordinate inputdevice using surface elastic waves can be mounted on a large screendisplay or the like.

[0431] In addition, the transmitting transducers and receivingtransducers are located so as not to be opposite to each other on thesame axis with the write-in member therebetween, or propagation of thesurface elastic waves in an unnecessary location is restricted, so thatdirect reception of surface elastic waves propagated from a differentside can be eliminated, and an S/N ratio is never lowered.

[0432] It should be noted that the shielding tape having been describedwith reference to FIG. 3 is preferably provided in portions of receivingtransducers even of the coordinate input device according to Embodiment4.

[0433] In Embodiment 5, description is made for a coordinate inputdevice (touch input device) based on a ultrasonic elastic wave systemapplicable to the electronic blackboard system according toEmbodiment 1. The coordinate input device according to Embodiment 5 hasbeen invented for solving the inconvenience that a position differentfrom an actual written-in position may be identified if a plurality ofusers write data in the coordinate input device.

[0434]FIG. 68 to FIG. 73 are views each showing a first example ofconfiguration of the coordinate input device according to Embodiment 5.FIG. 68 and FIG. 69 show one example of an electronic blackboard systemwith the coordinate input device according to Embodiment 5 appliedtherein, and the electronic blackboard system is constructed in a stylewith the coordinate input device mounted on an image display unit, andcomprises an operating section 6811 used for inputting various types ofconditions to be set by a user, a display section 6812 for displaying animage thereon, an image memory (RAM) 6813 for storing thereon image datato be displayed on the display section 6812, an input section 6814for-drawing an image (written-in drawing) to be displayed on the displaysection 6812 by a user, a ROM 6815 with a basic program required for anoperation as an electronic blackboard system as well as with a controlprogram required for Embodiment 5 stored therein, and a control unit(CPU) 6816 for providing centralized controls over the sectionsaccording to the programs in the ROM 6815.

[0435] The operating section 6811 has a keyboard and a mouse not shownin the figure operated by a user and an image reading section capable ofreading image data by mounting a magnetic disk or the like thereon, andcan specify and process an image to be displayed on the display section6812 through the keyboard or the like. It should be noted that, imagedata may be read out from a document as an image to be displayed on thedisplay section 6812 by connecting a scanner to the operating section.

[0436] The display section 6812 has a large screen PDP for displayingthe image data in the image memory 6813 sent from the control unit 6816,and also has an input device 6814 mounted thereon for detectingcoordinate of a drawing (a written-in point) written on a transparentglass board (a write-in member) 6901 having substantially the same formas a display screen on the PDP and transmitting the coordinates to thecontrol section 6816.

[0437] The image memory 6813 is programmed to temporarily store imagedata to be displayed on the display section 6812 read from a magneticdisk or the like by operating the operating section 6811, and alsotemporarily store image data for a drawing written by the input section6814 as a different image from the original image as well as image dataobtained by synthesizing the image to the original image.

[0438] The input section 6814 is superimposed on the PDP screen of thedisplay section 6812 as shown in FIG. 70, transmitting and receivingtransducers 7002 to 7005 are mounted on the transparent glass board 6901for passing an image to be displayed therethrough, and reflection arrays7006 a, 7006 b, 7007 a, and 7007 b for reflecting surface elastic wavespropagating on the surface of the transparent glass board 7001 areformed on four edges thereof, and the reflection arrays 7006 a, 7006 b,7007 a, and 7007 b are provided at an angle of 45 degrees so as to beopposite to each other through the transmission surface (write-insurface) 7001 a for transmitting the PDP screen and reflecting sectionsfor reflecting the surface elastic waves portion by portion are providedin parallel to the transmitting and receiving directions of thetransducers 7002 to 7005.

[0439] With this configuration, in the input section 6814, thereflection arrays 7006 a and 7007 a reflect the surface elastic wavestransmitted from the transmitting transducers 7002, 7004 and propagatingon the surface of the transparent glass board 7001 at a right angle tothe transmission surface 7001 a with each of the reflecting sections aportion by portion, and the reflection arrays 7006 b and 7007 b alsoreflect the surface elastic waves propagating on the transmissionsurface 7001 a again at a right angle, which allows the receivingtransducers 7003 and 7005 to receive the surface elastic wavestransmitted by the transmitting transducers 7002 and 7004.

[0440] At this point of time, the surface elastic waves transmitted fromthe transmitting transducer 7002 are successively reflected by eachreflecting section of the reflection array 7006 a arranged in parallelto the X-axial direction, and propagate on the transmission surface 7001a of the transparent glass board 7001 respectively, and are reflectedagain by the reflection array 7006 b opposite to the array 7006 a, sothat the surface elastic waves within the transmission surface 7001 a ofthe transparent glass board 7001 are successively swept, and arereceived by the receiving transducer 7003. Furthermore, the surfaceelastic waves transmitted from the transmitting transducer 7004 are alsosuccessively reflected by each reflecting section of the reflectionarrays 7007 a and 7007 b arranged in parallel to the Y-axial direction,swept within the transmission surface 7001 a of the transparent glassboard 7001, and are received by the receiving transducer 7005.Accordingly, the input section 6814 can repeatedly sweep the surfaceelastic waves within the transmission surface 7001 a of the transparentglass board 7001 by regarding a period when the surface elastic wavestransmitted from the transmitting transducers 7002 and 7004 are receivedby the receiving transducer 7005 as one cycle and repeating transmissionand reception of the surface elastic waves.

[0441] Therefore, in the input section 6814, when some spot within thetransmission surface 7001 a of the transparent glass board 7001 ispressed with a tip such as a rubber of an input pen, propagation of aportion of the surface elastic waves repeatedly transmitted from thetransmitting transducers 7002 and 7004 and sweeping within thetransmission surface 7001 a is shut down or attenuated, and receivedsignals by the receiving transducers 7003 and 7005 each having receivedthe surface elastic waves can be correlated to each other on the timeaxis, so that the control unit 6816 having received the received signalsfrom the receiving transducers 7003 and 7005 can detect the position atthe time of starting sweeping (a reference point) when the level ofreceived signals gets lower than that of other signals as a positionpressed with the input pen, and can identifie the coordinate of awritten-in point with the input pen according to the detected positionin the X-axis and Y-axis.

[0442] It should be noted that, the reflection arrays 7006 a, 7006 b,7007 a and 7007 b have reflecting sections larger than their actual sizeshown in the figure so that the sections can visually be recognized, butin an actual case, one of the sections is one pixel for detecting awritten-in point, therefore, the reflecting sections can be formed so asto correlate to pixel density of a written-in drawing detectable by theinput section 6814.

[0443] Then the control unit 6816 regards positions indicated by a thinsolid line in FIG. 70 also as candidates of a written-in point as shownin Fog. 70 when having received signals indicating that the processingof write-in is executed by a user from the receiving transducers 7003and 7005 at two spots (written-in points (X1, Y1), (X2, Y2)) indicatedby the heavy solid line within the transmission surface 7001 a of thetransparent glass board 7001. Therefore, the control unit 6816 providescontrols as shown in FIG. 71(a) so that a transmitting cycle (detectingcycle) T of the surface elastic waves by the Y-axial transmittingtransducer 7004 is transmitted in synchronism to a transmitting cycle Tof surface elastic waves by the X-axial transmitting transducer 7002,combines detected positions in which timings of detecting a written-inpoint by the receiving transducers 7003 and 7005 are closest to eachother using a detecting cycle Tn as a reference, and identifies thewritten-in point.

[0444] For example, for identifying the written-in points (X1, Y1) and(X2, Y2), when the X-axial receiving transducer 7003 detects thepositions x1, x2 as shown in FIG. 71(b) and the Y-axial receivingtransducer 7005 detects the positions y1, y2, the written-in points (X1,Y1) and (X2, Y2) do not select the identical detected positions in theX-axis and Y-axis, so that any combination in which a value obtained byadding a detected time difference Δt of a detected position (xi, yi)obtained in any combination of detected positions (x1, y1), (x2, y2) anddetected positions (x1, y2), (x2, y1) to the detected position (xi, yi)is the smallest is selected, and the written-in points (X1, Y1) and (X2,Y2) are identified by combining the closest detected positions (x1, y1)with (x2, y2). Accordingly, even when the position x1 to xn is detectedin the X-axis and the position y1 to yn is detected in the Y-axis,written-in points (X1, Y1) and (X2, Y2) can be identified with thevarious combination, and as it is quite rare for a plurality of users,for example, to start writing in at the same time, a written-in pointwhen each user starts writing in can be identified with high-precision.

[0445] It should be noted that the positions (x2, y2) in FIG. 71(b) aredetected discretely in the adjacent cycles T4 and T5, but the figureshows a case where a sweeping time in the Y-axis is shorter than that inthe X-axis so that a written-in point detected at the time of sweepingclose to the end in the X-axis is detected at the beginning of the nextcycle in the Y-axis.

[0446] Furthermore, the control unit 6816 detects, when users write in acontinuous line segment, for example, when written-in points (X1, Y1)and (X2, Y2) indicated by the heavy solid line in FIG. 70 areconcurrently written in, the positions x1, x2 in the X-axis as well asthe position y1, y2 in the Y-axis within the same detecting cycles asshown in each upper stage in FIG. 72, therefore, the written-in pointscan not be identified by combining detected positions in the X-axis andY-axis at the detecting timings. Therefore, the control unit 6816 isprogrammed to identify a written-in point by combining detectedpositions closest to the detected positions of the written-in pointidentified in the immediately proceeding detecting cycle Tn-1, andsimilarly to the previous processing, selects a combination in which anabsolute value obtained by subtracting detected positions (xj, yj) ofthe previous written-in point indicated by the heavy broken line in FIG.70 from the detected positions (xi, yi) obtained by combining thedetected positions (x1, y1), (x2, y2) and the detected positions (x1,y2), (x2, y1) is the smallest, identifies the written-in point (X1, Y1)by combining the position xp1 detected in the X-axis and the positionyp2 detected in the Y-axis, and also identifies the written-in point(X2, Y2) by combining the position xp2 detected in the X-axis with theposition yp1 detected in the Y-axis as well.

[0447] Accordingly, the continuous written-in points (X1, Y1) and (X2,Y2) adjacent to the immediately proceeding written-in points indicatedby the heavy broken line in FIG. 70 can be identified, and even when aplurality of positions in the X-axis and Y-axis are detected within thesame detecting cycle Tn, the detected positions in the X-axis and Y-axisare combined so as to become continuos written-in points, therefore,each line written in by each user can be reproduced with high precision.

[0448] Furthermore, as for the control unit 6816, there are many caseswhere at most two users perform write-in because of the size of the PDPscreen of the display section 6812, the users may not write in at thesame time, and even when characters or the like are to be written in,non-continuous line segments and dots are written in by each user, sothat there are not always present any written-in points corresponding tothose immediately proceeding written-in points (X1, Y1) and (X2, Y2)other than the case where the continuous line segment or the like arewritten in at the same time, therefore, similarly to the previousprocessing, the control unit 6816 selects a combination in which anabsolute value obtained by subtracting detected positions (xj, yj) ofthe previous written-in point indicated by the heavy broken line in FIG.73 from the detected positions (xi, yi) obtained by means of thedetected positions (x1, y1), (x2, y2), (x1, y2) and (x2, y1) is thesmallest, identifies the written-in point (X1, Y1) when, for example,one written-in point (Xe1, Ye1) is finally identified as shown in FIG.73 by combining the positions closest to the point, and then identifiesthe written-in point (X2, Y2) following the last written-in point (Xe2,Ye2) with other user by combining the detected positions diagonal to thepoint (X1, Y1). Accordingly, two users write in discretely, and even iftimings of detecting written-in points when the two users restartwriting in happen to be substantially the same as each other, each ofthe written-in points can be identified at a position corresponding tothe line or the like previously written in can be identified for eachuser.

[0449] In the first configuration according to Embodiment 5 as describedabove, even when a plurality of positions in the X-axis and Y-axis aredetected, a written-in point is identified by combining detectedpositions of which detecting timings are closest, so that each ofwritten-in point can be identified for each user even when a pluralityof users start writing in, therefore, it is impossible to specify adifferent drawing as a written-in drawing due to identification of awritten-in point which has not actually been written in.

[0450] In addition, even when a plurality of positions in the X-axis andY-axis are detected within the same detecting cycle, a written-in pointis identified by combining detected positions closest to each of thewritten-in points identified within the immediately proceeding cycle, sothat, even if a plurality of users concurrently write in lines, each ofthe written-in points can be identified, therefore, it is impossible tospecify a drawing other than the line as a written-in drawing as due toidentification of a written-in point which has not actually been writtenin.

[0451] Furthermore, even if there is one last written-in point when twopositions in the X-axis and Y-axis are detected within the samedetecting cycle, one written-in point is identified by combiningdetected positions the closest to the one written-in point, and theother written-in point is identified by combining detected positionsdiagonal to the identified written-in point, so that even if two usersdiscretely write in characters or the like with non-continuous linesegments and dots, each of the written-in points can be identified,therefore, it is impossible to specify a drawing which is not intendedto be written in other than characters as a written-in drawing due toidentification of a written-in point which has not actually been writtenin.

[0452] Accordingly, write-in by a plurality of users is allowable, whichmakes it possible to enhance usability.

[0453]FIG. 74 is a view showing how to identify a written-in point byusing a second example of configuration of the coordinate input deviceaccording to Embodiment 5. It should be noted that, the second exampleof configuration thereof has the same configuration as that of the firstconfiguration, so that the same reference numerals are assigned to thesections corresponding to those in FIG. 68 and FIG. 69, and descriptionis made for only a characteristic section thereof.

[0454] In FIG. 68 and FIG. 69, the control unit 6816 provides controlsas shown in FIG. 74 so that a transmitting cycle (detecting cycle) T ofthe surface elastic waves by the X-axial and Y-axial transmittingtransducers 7002 and 7004 is not shared but each of the transducerstransmits surface elastic waves in each cycle required for sweeping thewaves in the X-axis and Y-axis respectively, and a delay time of areceived signal by the X-axial receiving transducer 7003 to a receivedsignal by the Y-axial receiving transducer 7005 at the time of detectinga written-in point (Xi, Yi) is computed and corrected, and thewritten-in point is identified by combining detected positions in whichtimings of detecting the written-in points by the receiving transducers7003 and 7005 are closest to each other.

[0455] In the second configuration, the Y-axial transmitting transducer7004 also continuously propagates the surface elastic waves on thetransparent glass board 7001 like the X-axial transmitting transducer7002, and a blank time when written-in points can not be detected withinthe detecting cycle T as shown in FIG. 71 can be eliminated, so thatwrite-in by a user can more accurately be detected and coordinate of thewritten-in point can be identified. It should be noted that, if arectangular board having the same dimensions in the Xaxis and Y-axis isused, the same thing happens in the above described first configuration.

[0456] It should be noted that, in Embodiment 5, description has beenmade for the transparent glass board as an example, but any material maybe used on condition that it is a material that enables propagation ofthe surface elastic waves.

[0457] As described above, with the coordinate input device according toEmbodiment 5, when a plurality of positions as objects for combinationsin the X-axis and Y-axis are detected, a detected point obtained bycombining detected positions in which detecting timings in the X-axisand Y-axis are closest to each other is identified as a written-inpoint, so that each written-in point of which writing-in is started byeach of the plurality users can be identified, therefore, it isimpossible to specify a different drawing as a written-in drawing due toidentification of a written-in point which has not actually been writtenin. Accordingly, write-in by a plurality of users is allowable, whichmakes it possible to enhance the usability.

[0458] Furthermore, when a plurality of positions as objects forcombinations in the X-axis and Y-axis are detected, a detected pointobtained by combining detected positions which are closest to each ofthe immediately proceeding written-in points is identified as awritten-in point, so that a written-in point for each user can beidentified even when lines are written in by the plurality of users,therefore, it is impossible to specify a drawing other than lines as awritten-in drawing due to identification of a written-in point which hasnot actually been written in. Accordingly, write-in by a plurality ofusers is allowable, which makes it possible to enhance the usability.

[0459] Furthermore, even if there is one last written-in point when twopositions as objects for combinations in the X-axis and Y-axis aredetected, a detected point obtained by combining detected positions theclosest to the one written-in point is identified as one of thewritten-in points, and a detected point by combining detected positionsdiagonal to the identified detected point is identified as the otherwritten-in point, so that even if two users write lines of whichwritten-in points are not continuous such as characters, a written-inpoint for each user can be identified, therefore, it is impossible tospecify a drawing other than characters as a written-in drawing due toidentification of a written-in point which has not actually been writtenin. Accordingly, write-in by a plurality of users is allowable, whichmakes it possible to enhance the usability.

[0460] It should be noted that, the shielding tape having been describedwith reference to FIG. 3 is preferably provided in portions of receivingtransducers even of the coordinate input device according to Embodiment5.

[0461] An input device according to Embodiment 6 is used for easilygenerating a software keyboard and enabling insurance of security withan simple operation in the electronic blackboard system according toEmbodiment 1.

[0462] The input device according to Embodiment 6 has a tablet(corresponding to the touch input device 102 in Embodiment 1) contactingand provided on the surface of an image display unit (corresponding tothe PDP 101 in Embodiment 1) and a signal control section. The signalcontrol section has a touched area computing section, a touched positiondetecting section, a touched area determining section, a softwarekeyboard generating section, and a drawing section. When the tablet istouched with a fingertip or the like, signals corresponding to thetouched area and a touched position are outputted from the tablet to thetouched area computing section as well as to the touched positiondetecting section. The touched position detecting section detectscoordinate of the position touched with the fingertip or the like fromthe signals received from the tablet. At the same time, the touched areacomputing section computes an area touched with the fingertip or thelike according to the signals received from the tablet. The touched areadetermining section compares the touched area computed by the touchedarea computing section to a preset threshold value, and determines thata drawing or the like is created on the tablet when the computed touchedarea is smaller than the threshold value, and the drawing sectioncreates a drawing according to the touched area computed in the touchedarea computing section as well as to the coordinates detected in thetouched position detecting section to display the drawing on the imagedisplay unit, and also inputs the drawing to a computer. Also as aresult of determination in the touched area determining section, it isdetermined that the tablet has been touched with, for instance, a palmwhen the computed touched area exceeds the threshold value, and thesoftware keyboard generating section generates a software keyboard anddisplays it on the touched position of the image display unit in a sizepreviously set. By touching the tablet with, for instance, a palm asdescribed above, a software keyboard can easily be displayed on theimage display unit. By operating this displayed software keyboard in thesame manner as that when a keyboard is operated, various types ofoperation can easily be executed. For example, a PID number or someother data is inputted through the software keyboard to get permissionto access.

[0463]FIG. 75 is a block diagram showing a first example ofconfiguration of an input device according to Embodiment 6. As shown inFIG. 75, the input device has a tablet 7501 using surface elastic waves,an image display unit 7502 having a screen such as a PDP, and a signalcontrol section 7503. The signal control section 7503 has a touched areacomputing section 7504, a touched position detecting section 7505, atouched area determining section 7506, a software keyboard generatingsection 7507 and a drawing section 7508.

[0464] When the tablet 7501 is touched with a fingertip or a pen, asignal outputted from the tablet 7501 according to the touched area andtouched position on the tablet 7501 is changed in its signal value asshown in FIG. 76 by an amount of absorption of the surface elastic wavesdue to the fingertip or the like. In a screenful time-series signal, byintegrating each time when the change is generated, an area where thetablet is touched with the fingertip can be computed. Then the touchedarea computing section 7504 computes each area of portions A1, A2, andA3 where the surface elastic waves are absorbed due to touching thetablet with the fingertip from the screenful time-series signaloutputted from the tablet 7501. Then the touched position detectingsection 7505 computes coordinates of portions A1, A2 and A3 where thesurface elastic waves are absorbed from the screenful time-series signaloutputted from the tablet 7501. The touched area determining section7506 compares the touched area computed by the touched area computingsection 7504 to the preset threshold value. The software keyboardgenerating section 7507 generates, when it is determined in the touchedarea determining section 7506 that the tablet has been touched with, forinstance, a palm when the touched area exceeds the threshold value, asoftware keyboard and displays it on the touched position of the imagedisplay unit. The drawing section 7508 creates, when it is determined inthe touched area determining section 7506 that the touched area issmaller than the threshold value, a drawing according to the touchedarea and touched position on the tablet 7501 and displays the drawing onthe image display unit 7502, and also inputs it in the computer 7509.

[0465] Description is made for an operation when the tablet 7501 of theinput device configured as described above is touched with the fingertipor the like with reference to the flow chart in FIG. 77. When the tablet7501 is touched with the fingertip or the like, the tablet 7501 outputssignals corresponding to the touched area and touched position to thetouched area computing section 7504 as well as to the touched positiondetecting section 7505 (S7701).

[0466] The touched position detecting section 7505 detects coordinate ofa position on the tablet touched with the fingertip or the like from asignal received from the tablet 7501 (S7702). At the same time, thetouched area computing section 7504 computes an area on the tablettouched with the fingertip according to the signal received from thetablet 7501 (S7703).

[0467] The touched area determining section 7506 compares the touchedarea computed by the touched area computing section 7504 to the presetthreshold value (S7704), and determines that a graphic or the like iscreated on the tablet 7501 when the computed touched area is smallerthan the threshold value, and the drawing section 7508 creates a drawingaccording to the touched area computed in the touched area computingsection 7504 as well as according to the coordinate detected in thetouched position detecting section 7505 to display the drawing on theimage display unit 7502, and also inputs the drawing to the computer7509 (S7705).

[0468] As a result of determination in the touched area determiningsection 7506, it is determined that the tablet has been touched with,for instance, a palm when the computed touched area exceeds thethreshold value, and the software keyboard generating section 7507generates a software keyboard and displays it on the touched position ofthe image display unit 7502 in a size previously set (S7706).

[0469] By touching the tablet 7501 with, for instance, a palm asdescribed above, the software keyboard can easily be displayed on theimage display unit 7502. By operating this displayed software keyboardin the same manner as that when a keyboard is operated, various types ofoperation can easily be executed.

[0470] In the first configuration, although description has been madefor the case where a software keyboard in a certain size is generated inthe software keyboard generating section 7507 and displayed on the imagedisplay unit 7502, the software keyboard generating section 7507 maydisplay the software keyboard to be displayed on the image display unit7502 in a size specified by an operator. For example, when the tablet7501 is touched with the palm, the software keyboard having a sizecorresponding to the touched area is generated by the soft 7507 anddisplayed on the image display unit 7502. By displaying the palm-sizedsoftware keyboard as described above, the most easy-to-use-sizedsoftware keyboard can be displayed.

[0471] Next description is made for an example of realizing a securityfunction by using the software keyboard displayed on the image displayunit 7502 as described above.

[0472]FIG. 78 is a block diagram showing a second example ofconfiguration of an input device for realizing the security function. Asshown in FIG. 78, the input device has a tablet 7501, an image displayunit 7502, a signal control section 7503, and a comparing section 7810.The signal control section 7503 has a touched area computing section7504, a touched position detecting section 7505, a touched areadetermining section 7506, a software keyboard generating section 7507,and in addition, a code generating section 7811, a touched area signalstoring section 7812, a code signal storing section 7813 and a referencesignal storing section 7814.

[0473] The code generating section 7811 converts a coordinate signal ofa touched position on the tablet 7501 detected in the touched positiondetecting section 7505 to a code signal according to a preset table. Thetouched area signal storing section 7812 successively stores, when atouched area computed in the touched area computing section 7504 issmaller than the threshold value, the computed touched areas therein.The code signal storing section 7813 successively stores code signalsconverted in the code generating section 7811. Stored in the referencesignal storing section 7814 are a code signal series of users previouslyauthorized to access the computer system and a touched area series eachas reference signals. The comparing section 7810 compares input signalsin the touched area signal series stored in the touched area signalstoring section 7812 as well as in the code signal series stored in thecode signal storing section 7813 to reference signals stored in thereference signal storing section 7814, and verifies the signalsaccording to the result of comparison.

[0474] Description is made for an operation of the input deviceconfigured as described above with reference to the flow chart in FIG.79. As shown in the first configuration, the software keyboard isdisplayed on the image display unit 7502 (S7901), the tablet 7501 on thedisplayed software keyboard is touched with the fingertip or the like toenter a PID number or a password (S7902). Herein when a ten-key isdisplayed as the software keyboard, a PID number is inputted, while apassword is inputted when a full key is displayed.

[0475] The touched position detecting section 7505 detects coordinate ofeach touched position on the tablet and sends the coordinates to thecode generating section 7811 (S7903). The code generating section 7811converts the coordinate to code signals and successively stores the codesignals in the code signal storing section 7813 (S7904).

[0476] On the other hand, the touched area computing section 7504computes a touched area when the PID number or the like is inputted bytouching the tablet 7501 with the fingertip, and stores the touched areain the touched area signal storing section 7812 (S7905).

[0477] When this operation of inputting a PID number or a password isended, the comparing section 7810 reads out the code signal seriesstored in the code signal storing section 7813 and the touched areasignal series stored in the touched area signal storing section 7812,and compares the read-out signals in the code signal series and thetouched area signal series to the reference signals consisting of thecode signal series of the users authorized to access the computer systemand the touched area signal series each previously registered in thereference signal storing section 7814 (S7906, S7907). As this comparingmethod, a simple template matching is used for comparison of codesignals, and Viterbi decoding based on DP matching and HMM and a neuralnetwork technology are used for comparison of signals in touched areaseries because the signals in the touched area series are signalschanging by time.

[0478] As a result of this comparison, when the reference signalcoincident with the input signal is registered in the reference signalstoring section 7814, it is determined that the user has beenregistered, and permission to the user to access the system is sent tothe computer 7509 (S7908, S7909). When the reference signal coincidentwith the input signal is not registered in the reference signal storingsection 7814, inhibition to access the system is sent to the computer7509 (S7908, S7910). The computer 7509 displays the sent result on theimage display unit 7502.

[0479] As described above, determination is made as to whether the useris authorized person or not according to the code signal series as wellas to the touched area signal series indicating a touched position whenthe PID number and password are inputted from the software keyboard,therefore, high-reliability authorization for accessing the system canbe verified without user's any particular operation required forauthorization.

[0480] In the second configuration, description has been made for thecase where access to the system is permitted or not depending on the PIDnumber and password inputted from the software keyboard, but whetherpermission to access the system is given or not may be decided accordingto user's handwriting.

[0481]FIG. 80 is a block diagram showing a third example ofconfiguration of the input device for verifying the permission ornon-permission according to user's handwriting. The signal controlsection 7503 of the input device as shown in FIG. 80 has a touched areacomputing section 7504, a touched position detecting section 7505, atouched area determining section 7506, a software keyboard generatingsection 7507, a touched area signal storing section 7812, a coordinatesignal storing section 8015, and a reference signal storing section 7814a.

[0482] The coordinate signal storing section 8015 stores thereincoordinate of a touched position on the tablet 7501 detected by thetouched position detecting section 7505. The reference signal storingsection 7814 a registers therein a coordinate signal series obtained bypreviously measuring handwritings of users permitted to access thesystem and a touched area series as reference signals.

[0483] Description is made for an operation of the input deviceconfigured as described above with reference to the flow chart in FIG.81. When the tablet is touched with the fingertip or the like, thetablet 7501 outputs signals corresponding to the touched area andtouched position to the touched area computing section 7504 as well asto the touched position detecting section 7505 (S8101).

[0484] The touched position detecting section 7505 detects coordinate ofa position on the tablet touched with the fingertip or the like from asignal received from the tablet 7501 and stores the values in thecoordinate signal storing section 8015 (S8102). At the same time, thetouched area computing section 7504 computes an area on the tablettouched with the fingertip according to the signal received from thetablet 7501 (S8103).

[0485] The touched area determining section 7506 compares the touchedarea computed by the touched area computing section 7504 to the presetthreshold value (S8104), and determines that the tablet 7501 has beentouched with, for instance, a palm when the computed touched area islarger than the threshold value, and the software keyboard generatingsection 7507 generates a software keyboard and displays the board on thetouched position of the image display unit 7502 (S8104, S8105).

[0486] Also it is determined that a graphic is created on the tablet7501 when the computed touched area is smaller than the threshold value,and the computed touched areas are successively stored in the touchedarea signal storing section 7812 (S8104, S8106).

[0487] When inputting to the tablet 7501 is ended, the comparing section7810 reads out the coordinate signal series stored in the coordinatesignal storing section 8015 and the touched area signal series stored inthe touched area signal storing section 7812, and compares the read-outsignals in the coordinate signal series and the touched area signalseries to the reference signals consisting of the coordinate signalseries indicating handwriting of user's signatures authorized to accessthe computer system and the touched area signal series each previouslyregistered in the reference signal storing section 7814 a (S8107,S8108).

[0488] As a result of this comparison, when the reference signalcoincident with the input signal is registered in the reference signalstoring section 7814 a, it is determined that the user has beenregistered, and permission to the user to access the system is sent tothe computer 7509 (S8109, S8110). Also when the reference signalcoincident with the input signal is not registered in the referencesignal storing section 7814 a, inhibition to access the system is sentto the computer 7509 (S8109, S8111). The computer 7509 displays the sentresult on the image display unit 7502.

[0489] As described above, determination is made as to whether the useris an authorized person or not according to the user's signature,therefore, high-reliability authorization for accessing the system canbe verified with a simple operation.

[0490] In the third configuration, the coordinate signal series forhandwriting of user's signature detected in the touched positiondetecting section 7505 is stored in the coordinate signal storingsection 8015, the input signal consisting of the coordinate signalseries stored in the coordinate signal storing section 8015 and thetouched area signal series stored in the touched area signal storingsection 7812 are compared to the reference signal registered in thereference signal storing section 7814 a, but as shown in the blockdiagram (a fourth example of configuration) in FIG. 82, a normalizingsection 8216 and a normalized signal storing section 8217 are providedin place of the coordinate signal storing section 8015, and a coordinatesignal series of handwriting of user's signature detected in the touchedposition detecting section 7505 may be normalized and stored in thenormalized signal storing section 8217.

[0491] In this case, the input signal consisting of the normalizedsignal series of the coordinate signal stored in the normalized signalstoring section 8217 and the touched area signal series stored in thetouched area signal storing section 7812 are compared to the referencesignal consisting of a normalized series of coordinate signals showinghandwritings of signatures of the users authorized to access thecomputer system and the touched area series each previously stored inthe reference signal storing section 7814 a. As described above, bynormalizing a coordinate signal of a handwriting of a user's signaturedetected in the touched position detecting section 7505, the user canmake a signature of an arbitrary size, which allows convenience to beenhanced.

[0492] As for each configuration for realizing the security function, asshown in the block diagram (a fifth example of configuration) in FIG.83, an input start instructing section 8318 for inputting an input startinstruction and a comparison start instructing section 8319 forinputting a comparison start instruction, and when a PID number or asign is to be inputted, a PID number or the like is inputted accordingto an input start instruction from the input start instructing section8318, and when the PID number or the like is to be verified, anoperation of comparison is started according to the comparison startinstruction inputted from the comparison start instructing section 8319,so that a PID number or the like can be more accurately verified.Herein, a switch or a switch reproduced on a software keyboard displayedon the image display unit 7502 may be used for operations in the inputstart instructing section 8318 as well as in the comparison startinstructing section 8319.

[0493] When a PID number and a password are to be inputted, a touchnumber counter may be used as the input start instructing section 8318and the comparison start instructing section 8319. As described above,when the touch number counter is used, the touched number counter isreset to “0” when the software keyboard on the tablet 7501 is firsttouched, an input start instruction is sent to the signal controlsection 7503, a number of times is counted with the touched numbercounter each time when the software keyboard is touched, and when acounted value by the touched number counter reaches a certain number oftimes prespecified according to a PID number and a password, acomparison start instruction is sent to the signal control section 7503.As described above, a number of input times of a PID number and apassword can also be confirmed.

[0494] Also when handwriting of a user's signature is to be inputted, atimer for measuring an input time may be used as the input startinstructing section 8318 and the comparison start instructing section8319. In this case, when a user touches the tablet 7501 to startsigning, a measuring time by the timer is reset to “0” and themeasurement is started, and an input start instruction is sent to thesignal control section 7503, and when a prespecified period of time isover, a comparison start instruction is sent to the signal controlsection 7503. As described above, even if a number of characters are notcertain like in the case of verification of a signature, an inputoperation of a signature and a comparing operation can be performed withstability.

[0495] Confirmed in a status indicating section 8320 are an inputprocessing standby status before an input start instruction is sent fromthis input start instructing section 8318 to the signal control section7503, an input processing start status after the input start instructionis sent to the signal control section 7503, a comparison processingstatus during comparison operation after a comparison start instructionis sent from the comparison start instructing section 8319, and acomparison operation end status, and when each of the statuses isdisplayed on the image display unit 7502, a user can accuratelyrecognize each of the processing statuses, which allows convenience tobe enhanced.

[0496] As described above, with the input device according to Embodiment6, a software keyboard is generated according to a touched area obtainedby touching an input surface provided integrally with an image displayunit, and the software keyboard is displayed on the touched position ofthe image display unit, so that the software keyboard can easily bedisplayed.

[0497] Furthermore, by displaying a software keyboard in a sizeaccording to a size of an area touching the input surface, anarbitrary-sized software keyboard can be displayed, which allowsconvenience to be enhanced.

[0498] In addition, by comparing a code signal series as well as atouched area signal series of coordinate of a touched position when aninput surface integrally provided with an image display unit is touchedto a reference signal, determination can be made as to whether a user isan authorized person or not according to the PID number and passwordinputted through the software keyboard, therefore, a high-reliabilityauthorization for accessing the system can be verified without anyparticular operation by the user required for authorization.

[0499] Furthermore, by comparing a coordinate signal series as well as atouched area series when an input surface integrally provided with animage display unit is touched to a reference signal, authorization foraccessing the system can be verified according to handwriting of auser's signature, and high-reliability authorization can be performed.

[0500] In addition, by normalizing a coordinate signal series when aninput surface integrally provided with an image display unit is touched,an arbitrary-sized signature can be used, which allows convenience to beenhanced.

[0501] Furthermore, by instructing to start inputting data to an inputsurface or instructing to start comparison processing, a PID number orthe like can more accurately be recognized. This input start instructionand comparison start instruction are executed with a touch numbercounting unit for counting a number of times the input surface istouched or an input time measuring unit for measuring an input time, sothat instructions can simply and accurately be performed.

[0502] Furthermore, by displaying a status of inputting data into theinput surface or a status of comparison processing on an image displayunit, a user can accurately recognize processing statuses, which allowsconvenience to be enhanced.

[0503] Each processing in Embodiments 1 to 6 described above can berealized by executing a previously prepared program by a computer. Thisprogram is recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as ahard disk, a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD, and is executed byreading out from the recording medium by the computer. Furthermore, thisprogram can be distributed through the recording medium or a network.

[0504] As described above, the electronic blackboard system according tothe present invention comprises a display surface and a write-in surfaceof the electronic blackboard with a display unit and a touch inputdevice, and accommodates the display unit, touch input device, aprinter, and a control unit in a frame unit in which a control unitaccommodating section, a printer accommodating section, and holdingsection are arranged in the vertical direction in this order from thebottom, so that movement and installation of the system can easily beperformed only by moving the frame unit. Furthermore, the devices arearranged in the order of the heaviest to a lighter one from the bottomin the direction of gravity (the vertical direction) of the unit, sothat stability of the frame unit at the time of movement andinstallation thereof can be insured. Furthermore, a shielding member forshutting down electromagnetic waves is provided on the surface of thedisplay unit side in the touch input device based on a ultrasonicsurface elastic wave system, so that a plasma display can be used as adisplay unit, and the display unit can be made thinner (minimized) andbrightness on the display screen can be improved. Namely, with theelectronic blackboard system according to the present invention, thesystem as a whole can be downsized and integrated, and also operability,adaptability for handling, and convenience can be improved.

[0505] Furthermore, as the electronic blackboard system has an angleadjusting unit for adjusting an angle of the display surface as well asof the write-in surface of the electronic blackboard, incominginterference light into the display unit (display surface), especially,light from lighting equipment such as a fluorescent tube provided on theceiling can be avoided, an image on the screen can easily be seen, andconvenience can be improved.

[0506] Also a display unit can be used as a large-sized screen monitorby using a plurality of connecting terminals for connecting varioustypes of information equipment and AV equipment such as a digitalcamera, a DVD player, and a video equipment to the system, therefore, itis possible to provide an electronic blackboard system for enablingconnection and operation of the various types of information equipmentand AV equipment without a personal computer connected thereto.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0507] As described above, the electronic blackboard system according tothe present invention is suited to use, for example, as a blackboardsystem for conference and as a blackboard system as educationalequipment because display video moving pictures audio/photographs can bedisplayed on a display unit thereof, overwrite is possible with afingertip or a pen on the display section for filling in additionalinformation, and connection of various types of information equipmentand AV equipment as multimedia equipment to the system is possible.

1. An electronic blackboard system comprising at least: a display unitfor displaying characters and images; a touch input device with a touchpanel surface provided on a front surface of the display unit; a printerfor outputting image data onto a recording paper; and a control unit forproviding controls over displays provided by the display unit as well asover printing operations of the printer according to input from thetouch input device, said electronic blackboard system capable of forminga display surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboardusing the display unit and touch input device: wherein said control unitis a personal computer; said display unit is a plasma display; and saidtouch input device is a touch input device based on a ultrasonic wavesurface elastic wave system comprising a transmitting unit fortransmitting surface elastic waves, a reflecting unit for reflecting thesurface elastic waves transmitted from the transmitting unit in aspecified direction, and a receiving unit for receiving the surfaceelectric waves reflected by said reflecting unit for inputtingcoordinate of a touch position on the touch panel surface according toan attenuation rate of the surface elastic waves by transmitting thesurface elastic waves with the transmitting unit onto the touch panelsurface, reflecting the surface elastic waves propagating on the touchpanel surface with the reflecting unit in the direction of the receivingunit, and receiving the surface elastic waves propagating through thetouch panel surface with the receiving unit, and also comprises ashielding member for shuttering off electromagnetic waves provided on asurface of the display unit at a position when a signal line isconnected so that the position for connection of the signal line forfetching a received signal for a surface elastic wave received by thereceiving unit is covered; said electronic blackboard system furthercomprising a frame unit having a holding section for holding a displaysurface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard at aspecified height, a printer accommodating section for accommodating theprinter therein, and a control unit accommodating section foraccommodating the control unit therein, in which the control unitaccommodating section, printer accommodating section, and holdingsection are arranged in the vertical direction in this order from thebottom.
 2. An electronic blackboard system comprising at least: adisplay unit for displaying characters and images; a touch input devicewith a touch panel surface provided on a front surface of the displayunit; and a control unit for providing controls over displays by saiddisplay unit according to input from touch input device, said electronicblackboard system capable of forming a display surface and a write-insurface of the blackboard with the display unit and touch input device:wherein said touch input device is a touch input device comprising atransmitting unit for transmitting surface elastic waves, a reflectingunit for reflecting the surface elastic waves transmitted from thetransmitting unit in a specified direction, and a receiving unit forreceiving the surface elastic waves reflected by the reflecting unit forinputting coordinate of a touch position on the touch panel surfaceaccording to an attenuation rate of the surface elastic waves bytransmitting the surface elastic waves with said transmitting unit ontoa panel surface of the touch panel surface, reflecting the surfaceelastic waves propagating through the touch panel surface with saidreflecting unit in the direction of the receiving unit, and receivingthe surface elastic waves propagating through the touch panel with thereceiving unit; said electronic blackboard system further having ashielding member for shuttering off electromagnetic waves provided on asurface of the display unit at a position where a signal line isconnected so that the position for connection of the signal line forfetching a received signal for the surface elastic wave received by thereceiving unit is covered.
 3. An electronic blackboard system accordingto claim 2; wherein said display unit comprises a plasma display.
 4. Anelectronic blackboard system according to any of claims 1 to 3; whereinsaid shielding member is a copper foil tape.
 5. An electronic blackboardsystem comprising at least: a display unit for displaying characters andimages; a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided on afront surface of the display unit; a printer for outputting image dataonto a recording paper; and a control unit for providing controls overdisplays provided by the display unit as well as over printingoperations by the printer according to input from the touch inputdevice, said electronic blackboard system capable of forming a displaysurface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard using thedisplay unit and touch input device: wherein said control unit is apersonal computer; said electronic blackboard system further comprisinga frame unit having a holding section for holding a display surface anda write-in surface of the electronic blackboard at a specified height, aprinter accommodating section for accommodating the printer therein, anda control unit accommodating section for accommodating the control unittherein, in which the control unit accommodating section, printeraccommodating section, and holding section are arranged in the verticaldirection in this order from the bottom.
 6. An electronic blackboardsystem according to claim 1 or claim 5; wherein said frame unit has akeyboard placement section provided at a position in the upper side ofthe printer accommodating section and in the lower side of the holdingsection for placing a keyboard connected to the computer.
 7. Anelectronic blackboard system according to claim 1, claim 5, or claim 6;wherein said holding section comprises an angle adjusting unit foradjusting an angle of a display surface and a write-in surface of theelectronic blackboard to a horizontal plane on which the frame unit isplaced.
 8. An electronic blackboard system according to any of claim 1to claim 7; wherein said display unit further has a plurality ofconnecting terminals for connecting various types of informationequipment and AV equipment such as a digital camera, a DVD player, andvideo equipment, and is usable as a large-sized screen monitor by usingthe connecting terminals.
 9. An electronic blackboard system comprisingat least: a display unit for displaying characters and images; a touchinput device with a touch panel surface provided on a front surface ofthe display unit; and a control unit for providing controls overdisplays provided by the display unit according to input from the touchinput device, said electronic blackboard system capable of forming adisplay surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboardusing the display unit and touch input device; wherein said touch inputdevice is a touch input device based on a ultrasonic wave surfaceelastic wave system comprising a transmitting unit for transmittingsurface elastic waves, a reflecting unit for reflecting the surfaceelastic waves transmitted from the transmitting unit in a specifieddirection, and a receiving unit for receiving the surface electric wavesreflected by said reflecting unit for inputting coordinate of a touchposition on the touch panel surface according to an attenuation rate ofthe surface elastic waves by transmitting the surface elastic waves withthe transmitting unit onto the touch panel surface, reflecting thesurface elastic waves propagating on the touch panel surface with thereflecting unit in the direction of the receiving unit, and receivingthe surface elastic waves propagating through the touch panel surfacewith the receiving unit.
 10. An electronic blackboard system comprisingat least: a display unit for displaying characters and images; a touchinput device with a touch panel surface provided on a front surface ofthe display unit; a printer for outputting image data onto a recordingpaper; and a control unit for providing controls over displays providedby the display unit as well as over printing operations of the printeraccording to input from the touch input device, said electronicblackboard system capable of forming a display surface and a write-insurface of the electronic blackboard using the display unit and touchinput device: wherein said touch input device is a touch input devicebased on a ultrasonic wave surface elastic wave system comprising atransmitting unit for transmitting surface elastic waves, a reflectingunit for reflecting the surface elastic waves transmitted from thetransmitting unit in a specified direction, and a receiving unit forreceiving the surface electric waves reflected by said reflecting unitfor inputting coordinate of a touch position on the touch panel surfaceaccording to an attenuation rate of the surface elastic waves bytransmitting the surface elastic waves with the transmitting unit ontothe touch panel surface, reflecting the surface elastic wave propagatingon the touch panel surface with the reflecting unit in the direction ofthe receiving unit, and receiving the surface elastic waves propagatingthrough the touch panel surface with the receiving unit; said electronicblackboard system further comprising a frame unit having a holdingsection for holding a display surface and a write-in surface of theelectronic blackboard at a specified height, a printer accommodatingsection for accommodating the printer therein, and a control unitaccommodating section for accommodating the control unit therein, inwhich the control unit accommodating section, printer accommodatingsection, and holding section are arranged in the vertical direction inthis order from the bottom.
 11. An electronic blackboard systemcomprising at least: a display unit for displaying characters andimages; a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided on afront surface of the display unit; and a control unit for providingcontrols over displays provided by the display unit according to inputfrom the touch input device, said electronic blackboard system capableof forming a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronicblackboard using the display unit and touch input device; wherein saidtouch input device is a touch input device based on a ultrasonic wavesurface elastic wave system comprising a transmitting unit fortransmitting surface elastic waves, a reflecting unit for reflecting thesurface elastic waves transmitted from the transmitting unit in aspecified direction, and a receiving unit for receiving the surfaceelectric waves reflected by said reflecting unit for inputtingcoordinate of a touch position on the touch panel surface according toan attenuation rate of the surface elastic waves by transmitting thesurface elastic waves with the transmitting unit onto the touch panelsurface, reflecting the surface elastic waves propagating on the touchpanel surface with the reflecting unit in the direction of the receivingunit, and receiving the surface elastic waves propagating through thetouch panel surface with the receiving unit, and also comprises ashielding member for shuttering off electromagnetic waves provided on asurface of the display unit at a position when a signal line isconnected so that the position for connection of the signal line forfetching a received signal for a surface elastic wave received by thereceiving unit is covered.
 12. An electronic blackboard systemcomprising at least: a display unit for displaying characters andimages; a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided on afront surface of the display unit; a printer for outputting image dataonto a recording paper; and a control unit for providing controls overdisplays provided by the display unit as well as over printingoperations of the printer according to input from the touch inputdevice, said electronic blackboard system capable of forming a displaysurface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard using thedisplay unit and touch input device; said electronic blackboard systemfurther comprising a frame unit having a holding section for holding adisplay surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard at aspecified height, a printer accommodating section for accommodating theprinter therein, and a control unit accommodating section foraccommodating the control unit therein, in which the control unitaccommodating section, printer accommodating section, and holdingsection are arranged in the vertical direction in this order from thebottom.